An Unforgettable Encounter
by LadyKEn
Summary: A kunoichi who sought the affection of an Uchiha but never got it and an S-class criminal who never believed in love.Their worlds collide and separate, not knowing that through this little encounter, they are forever bound by this emotion they call love
1. Chapter 1

She was an innocent kunoichi who sought the affection of a certain Uchiha but never got it and he is an S-class criminal who never believed in love…their worlds collide and separate, not knowing that through this little encounter, they are forever bounded by that little emotion they call love…

Chapter 1

_It's the special things in life that makes it mean so much,_

_The sun, the rain, the sky; the thoughts and the touch,_

_If we let these precious things float out to endless sea,_

_We lose our hope, our love and all our reason to be_.

Thoughts were flying through her head while thinking of Sasuke, the way she was always protected by him, and the way he said _Thank You _to her before he left Konoha to find Orochimaru.

He was not just a ninja of Konoha.

He was not just a member of Team 7.

He was not just an Uchiha.

For her, he was simply Sasuke.

_I miss him. And I'll do anything to get him back._

This train of thoughts was further weakening her day after day, although Naruto was there to comfort her whenever she was sad, she always yearned for Sasuke's affection. And this was the reason why she did what she has just done…

_I'm Sorry._

_**Flashback:**_

"_Tsunade-sama!! Tsunade-sama!!" a certain jounin was running hastily towards the room she and Sakura trained._

"_You could at least knock!" Seeing the jounin look at her with fear, she quickly rephrased. "Ehem. Report."_

"_We have a lead on the whereabouts of the Hidden Village of Sound, Orochimaru's hideout!" he said while catching his breath._

"_What?" Sakura was the first one to react._

_Seeing her apprentice's reaction, she asked her to leave, knowing that if she heard this, she might do something stupid._

"_Sakura, you may leave now. I will see you tomorrow for the last session of our training."_

"_But...Tsunade-shishou!" Sakura tried to protest but to no avail._

"_Leave now!"_

"_Hai..."_

_Tsunade made sure that before the jounin tells her the news, she made a sound-proof barrier so as not to let anyone hear, especially Sakura, who is probably outside trying to listen to their conversation._

_While Sakura was out, she noticed that her sensei has made some kind of barrier, and realizing what kind it was, she immediately went into action and made a small hole, just enough for her to hear about what they are talking about. _

'_Good thing I looked at some of the books that Tsunade-shishou keeps for herself and this genjutsu is in one of those books. I am so bad. If she knows what I'm doing, she'll kill me for sure.' she laughed inwardly but then stopped when the conversation started._

"_Now, tell me, where is the Hidden Village of Sound..."_

"_Well, According to the anbus, it is located near the Rice Field Country, but you still have to go through several forests before you could get there and-"_

"_And? What about Orochimaru?"_

"_There is a big possibility that he is still there, he has been mostly silent this past year. He might be preparing for that immortality technique he was talking about."_

"…_."_

"_And there's another one, we are also thinking that Uchiha Sasuke is there with him, it's a 70:30 percent ratio. 70 being the positive…"_

"_Very well. Send the anbus to further look for a way to that village and bring back Uchiha Sasuke here. Alive."_

"_Hai!"_

_With that, the jounin left. Tsunade was not aware at all of Sakura's presence outside the door, but Sakura had heard it all, she was listening and when she learned about the possible location of Sasuke, she knew that this might be her only opportunity, her only lead._

'_**They found him.'**_

A week later, she came to a decision she may regret, but she knew that this is the only way. **To bring back myself.**

And she did it, she left Konoha without telling anyone, not even Naruto, only leaving behind a note of farewell to everybody she loved, and now, she was standing on a hill with a beautiful view of Konoha.

'_It's been two years since Sasuke left. I've made my choice. This is the only way. I can't let this go. This is why I trained under Tsunade-sama and tried to master everything she taught me in a year. I will miss everybody, Naruto, Shikamaru, Hinata, Ino all our other friends, our teachers, and even Lee who used to bother me a lot when I was in training. I will cherish everything I left here in Konoha, all of you will forever remain in my heart. I promise. I won't forget._

_**I'm Sorry.**_

One last look at Konoha and with those thoughts in mind; she left, promising not to return back until she has found Sasuke.

_____________________________________________

Naruto had just finished a mission with Shikamaru and his team and was really upset about being called back to the Hokage's office.

'_That old woman can't even wait 'til I had my ramen!'_

"Hey! Old woman! What do you want now? I just returned from a mission and then you called me here!!"

Tsunade stared at him with a worried expression.

"Naruto…" her voice was serious enough to stop Naruto from yelling at her.

"Hey, why so serious old woman?"

"We…we may have found the whereabouts of the Hidden Village of Sound and Orochimaru…"

"That's great! If Orochimaru's there, then Sasuke might be there too! I have to tell Sakura about this! She'll be happy! And we can get Sasuke back!"

"Naruto, that's the problem."

"Wha..What do you mean?? What is the problem?!?!" he was getting worried because of the tone that Tsunade was using.

"Sakura. She left Konoha to find Sasuke herself. She might have heard the conversation I had with the jounin about -"

Naruto couldn't hear what the Hokage was saying anymore.

'_She left.'_

"How can you let her leave?" It was the only thing the blond can say.

"I'm sorry. She left a note and no one has seen her in the past two days. She probably left yesterday while you were out on a mission."

Naruto was shocked by the sudden revelation.

"But- but then that means she...will..."

"Yes. I'm afraid that if she doesn't come back within 3 days, anbus will be sent to capture her or even kill her. I can give her a two-week extension since she has been my apprentice, but that's it."

He ran, trying to clear his head. Naruto was feeling desperate. He knew for a fact that if he left, he would be marked as a missing-nin, just like her. _And Sasuke._ He felt so powerless. _I can't even do anything to save both of my friends._

________________________________________________

Sakura was traveling on a fast pace now, jumping from tree to tree, very eager to reach her destination. Yes, she was worried about what would happen to her on the way there, but at this time, she wasn't thinking about that at all, she just thought that she would have to be brave and strong to support herself without any help from anyone.

_I'm on my own now. And I can do this. _

Nighttime came, and her body was exhausted from the travel. Memories of her younger days flooded her mind, the younger Uchiha she sought, Naruto, Kakashi-sensei. _Our Team 7._

_If only things could be that way again._

____________________________________________

Too caught up in her thoughts, she didn't notice a certain Akatsuki member was approaching, until it was too late. He had been keeping an eye on her for a couple of hours now, eager to know what she was doing in this kind of place, _alone_. He was sure that ninjas in Konoha were sent to missions in groups.

_This girl will be their downfall. _

___________________________________________

Sakura was about the danger, but another one was approaching. It looked downright menacing and hungry too. It stormed towards her causing her to wake up from her light slumber.

"What the hell?!" she shouted, seeing that a wild boar was approaching her in a fast speed

'_Scratch that. It's a big and hungry and ugly wild boar.'_

_-'Damn it! We can't be eaten by a boar before we reach Sasuke!_' Inner Sakura thought.

'_I'M RUNNING ALREADY!!'_

_-'Well, Climb up that damn tree!'_

The kunoichi watched the boar leave, but not before violently attacking the tree, urging her to get down.

She didn't stop travelling until she was almost out of chakra for running the whole day. It was something to keep her busy. She exhausted herself to her limits so she didn't have to put up with thoughts.

'_I'm pathetic.' _

Tears slid down her cheeks, this time, not because of a man, but because she thought of how miserable her life is at the moment.

"This would probably count as the worst day of my life!!" she shouted, her voice echoing through the empty forest surrounding her.

"Hn." a certain dark figure appeared behind her almost giving her a heart attack.

The hairs on the nape of her neck stood up when she heard that one syllable. It was very familiar. But what bothered her most was the power she could feel emanating from the ninja.

_Trouble._

"Who are y-"

Before she could even finish her question, a kunai was already poised in her neck, ready to kill.

"Weak." he answered back.

Her body stiffened when she heard the man talk. Oh, she was in trouble all right. This wasn't just any ninja behind her, this was a cold-blooded murderer.

"Uchiha Itachi." She tried to sound neutral, but she couldn't help herself from being scared. She was shaking inside. And she knew he could feel it.

She stood very still, feeling droplets of blood trickle down her neck from where the kunai was pressed tightly to her throat.

_Someone help me._ It was the last thing on her mind before everything went black.

______________________________________________

Just to clear things up, this story takes place 2 years after Sasuke left. So they're a little older.

Well, that was my first chapter. I really hope you like it. It's my first itasaku fanficIhave been in love with this pairing for years. ^^ Anyways, I would really appreciate reviews; any kind would do. Thanks again for reading. The next chapter would be quite interesting don't you think? 


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto**

**Chapter 2**

_To reach the goal,_

_We must at times run with the wind, _

_Other times, against it—_

_But we must certainly run, not walk, nor stand still._

She felt woozy. It certainly felt like she was moving, but she wasn't. Everything was a mess in her mind. She struggled to remember what had happened. Two words: Uchiha Itachi.

'_Akatsuki. I'm still in trouble. Shit.'_

They were being chased by anbus now. _Konoha anbus._ She could feel their chakra signatures. And worse, she was being carried. Still pretending to be out, Sakura tried to check out her surroundings discreetly.

Following them were at least seven anbus, but she couldn't be sure if she knew them. _They're still too far. _She could feel another strong chakra, someone traveling with them.

Someone who was now falling back, probably to ward off the anbus.

_Since my captor is Uchiha Itachi, then the chakra probably belonged to his partner. The fish man. According to the files, he has a sword that steals chakra. He's powerful, ruthless, and…ugly. Damn. Damn. Damn._

She felt them enter some kind of cave. It was dark and humid, she was sure.

She could only hope that the anbus would be able to track her down. That is, if they survive at all.

_______________________________________________

Meanwhile, Itachi was still speculating as to why he didn't kill the kunoichi. He had been adamant to do so, but then before he knew it, he already knocked her out and was carrying her back to headquarters like a back of rice.

He knew that Kisame had been sending him questioning glances on the way back. It was indeed, suitable. Uchiha Itachi did not let anyone live. He was a murderer. A sinner.

He had arrived at their headquarters and was not pleased at all to see raised eyebrows directed at him upon his entrance. So, he ignored them and proceeded to his room. Much to his annoyance, he realized that the kunoichi had to stay in here.

He threw the seemingly unconscious ninja rather forcefully into a nearby chair. He tried to wake her up by slapping her several times but to no avail. So he opted for tying her to the said instead, making sure that it was tight.

_She is my hostage. Their downfall. And my triumph._

_____________________________________________

Dinnertime came and all the Akatsuki members were gathered in the table, but Itachi, as usual, sat a little far away from them together with Kisame. He was trying to ignore the all-knowing glances that his partner was sending him. He was probably trying to inquire about the kunoichi.

"So, Uchiha, when you told me to hold back the anbus, I noticed that you were bringing some kind of package, or was it a girl? With freakishly pink hair. Is she yours?" he said very slowly as if teasing Itachi about the 'package' that he had just brought back.

"Hn." Itachi just continued eating ignoring everything that Kisame just said. After eating, he grabbed some fruits and headed for the direction of his room.

'_I'll take that as a yes.' _Kisame thought.

'_I wonder what Deidara's reaction would be that the Uchiha brought back a woman' _he was laughing inwardly to himself.

Itachi went in his room getting ready for his rest; he left the fruits on the table for the still unconscious kunoichi tied in his chair. The next morning, he noticed that the food was still untouched. _Fool._

His partner was already waiting for him outside, but this time, he decided that it was better for him to go alone.

"Kisame, watch her."

His partner could only watch him disappear. A string of profanities later, he proceeded to stomping to his partner's room.

"Great! He leaves me to take care of his woman! What am I? An assistant?!"

He opened the door not so gently and was surprised to find the 'package' tied firmly to the chair.

'_His hostage?'_

He untied the kunoichi, seeing that almost no chakra was left and threw her to Itachi's bed.

He poured water on her. Nothing.

He poked her. No response.

He even slapped her. Several times. Still none.

'_Is she dead?!'_

"Hey kunoichi! Wake up! You need to eat!"

'_Itachi will kill me if he finds her dead just because she hasn't eaten.'_

"Ugh… Five minutes, Naruto." Then as if noticing that she was in a place unfamiliar to her, she quickly sat up and looked at the person who just woke her up.

"Where is this? Why am I here? And who the hell are you?"

"Whoa! You're not dead!"

The kunoichi just had to raise her eyebrows on that statement. _Of course I'm not dead. I still have to find Sasuke._

"Where am I?"

"Akatsuki."

"Oh." was all she could answer back.

"I remember being tied in the chair last night. Did you untie me?"

"Uh…yeah."

"Thank You." She smiled.

She was wary. She had to watch everything said and did here. _Or else I might end up dead somewhere never to be found again. _She gulped at the mental picture it was presenting.

The weird fish man was still watching her eating. It was simply unnerving. And in a bad way. _His skin is blue! And he looks like a fish…a really alert fish who's quite ready to kill if I make one wrong move. _

"Oi. Who are you?"

"Uh, my name is Sayo." She lied.

"Don't even think about lying. I can't see right through it. Your real name?"

"Haruno Sakura."

"Kisame."

Kisame led her to the bathroom to clean up and change. His partner was going to be back by evening and his 'watch her' statement probably included everything in the book. Feed, bath, sleep, etc. _Ugh. I never signed up for this. _He grabbed a set of Itachi's clothes and threw them to the kunoichi.

"Uh, Kisame san! These aren't my clothes."

"Yeah well, I didn't exactly see you bringing a bag on your way here. So deal with it!" he shouted from outside the door.

"I'm not wearing that bastard's clothes!"

'_Bastard huh? Nobody ever dared to call him that and anyone who did probably never lived to tell the tale.' _He sniggered.

"You'll have to go for that or go out naked during lunch!" he heard her mumble a few words and gave out a small chuckle. This kunoichi was a feisty one.

"Yo! Kisame! What are you shouting about outside Itachi's room, yeah?" he gave him a confused look.

"Deidara! Good to see you! About that, you'll see when she comes out…"

"She, yeah?"

"Quite feisty for a girl though…"

"A girl, in Uchiha Itachi's room, yeah? Stop joking." he joked then gave laugh at his remark.

After a while, the door opened and Deidara saw that the girl, indeed, was feisty. She was glaring at Kisame, seeming not caring that she was in enemy territory. More questions filled his mind when he saw the Konoha insignia. _A ninja from the Leaf Village? Who is she, yeah?_

"What?" Kisame returned the girl's glare.

"You gave me these clothes to wear?"

"That or nothing. Take you pick.'' he answered back.

Sakura sighed in defeat and it was only then that she saw the other person with them. She stiffened when she saw the Akatsuki cloak. _For a moment there, I almost forgot that I am their enemy. This is bad._

"The name is Deidara, yeah."

"Haruno Sakura."

"So, you're Itachi's girl, yeah?" he asked.

"Uh, no. I'm currently being held captive, against my will. "

"Oh, I just though, you know…yeah."

"You thought what?"

"I guess Kisame just didn't explain to me well about the girl in Uchiha Itachi's room."

Green orbs flashed dangerously to Kisame.

"Lunch. Let's go." Kisame declared, trying to change the topic.

And so, they brought Sakura to the dining room, and since the only Akatsuki members present at that time, were both of them, there wasn't any problem about Sakura leaving the room. A little while later, Itachi arrived.

"Why are you back so early? I thought you were given mission?"

"I'm not needed there at this moment."

His eyes narrowed at the kunoichi who was sitting beside Deidara, comfortably talking with him. As if on cue, Sakura's body went rigid.

"Kisame…" he started.

"Oh, sorry 'bout your clothes, she had nothing to wear and was dirty so I released her."

"Hn."

He sat down to eat and afterwards went outside to train. Meanwhile, Sakura was back in the room, staring at the ceiling. She really had nothing else to do since the room was so plain yet elegantly decorated, and she also noticed that Itachi was not the kind of person who would scatter his things around, since everything was so organized. _Unlike Naruto._ She smiled at that thought. She was interrupted when Itachi entered the room holding a basket full of peaches.

"Thank you?" she said.

He was glaring at the kunoichi who was about to eat his peaches.

"Those are mine."

"Oh." She placed the basket on the table.

Itachi just stared at her and walked away. When he came back, it was obvious that he was getting ready for bed, he took off his cloak and laid himself on the bed but then Sakura asked a rather unintelligible question.

"Umm. Itachi-san, where am I going to sleep?"

_-'Since you're lying on your oh so comfortable bed now.' _Inner Sakura said

When he gave no answer, it was quite clear.

Sakura's eyes widened, "On the floor?"

In a flash, he was already in front of her, towering over her like a predator over his prey. His eyes narrowed more when he saw that there was still defiance in her eyes.

"You seem to forget that you are a hostage, Haruno-san."

"Then why don't you tie me back to the chair?"

"…"

Sakura thought that she wouldn't receive an answer from him but then he spoke.

"You would be a burden."

"Oh." She went silent after that. She couldn't understand what he meant, and while she was in her own little world, she didn't notice him going back to bed.

Both ninjas fell into a slumber. The sharingan user on the bed. The kunoichi on the floor.

________________________________________________

Meanwhile, things were not improving in Konoha. In fact, it was getting worse.

"Hey old woman! Any news about Sakura?" Naruto barged into the Hokage's office for the tenth time that day.

Tsunade sighed. It was bad enough that her apprentice had gone missing. She had paperwork and Hokage duties to juggle too. And now this, Naruto's barging in every now and then. And every now and then, she meant always. _Damn. I never should have taken this job. Ugh. Life was better with alcohol and gambling. Damn._

"According to the report, an Akatsuki member took her. Our anbus were on following them while they were on the run. I will send ninjas to find their headquarters, but I must tell you, Sakura may still be branded as a missing-nin because she left Konoha, so when she gets back, apprentice or not, she must face the consequences of her actions. "

"Don't worry. I'll go with them and I'll get Sakura back!"

"No."

"Wha-"

"You can't."

"But it's Sakura!" Naruto tried to reason out.

"Akatsuki is after you. To them, you are a weapon! If they capture you, then you're done for, you idiot!"

"But still, I just can't stand here and wait like what I did when Sasuke left years ago..."

"Yes, you can. And you will, because I am sure that Sakura will be back."

Not long after their conversation, the Hokage sent a team of anbus to get Sakura back. She was also worried. This was her apprentice after all, her prized pupil. Protocol be damned, if Sakura gets killed, she will take her revenge.

_____________________________________________

Sakura woke up the next day to the strange sight of Kisame bringing her breakfast.

"So, I guess Itachi wasn't very kind to you last night huh?" he smirked.

"…"

"Today, you will cook."

"Cook? For the Akatsuki members? Aren't you afraid that I might poison or drug you through the food?"

"We are skilled in poisons, we will know if there is poison or some kind of drug in the food we eat. How many times do you think were we given poisonous food, huh?"

"You want a house help?" the kunoichi could not believe what she was hearing.

'_They took me because they needed a help?'_

_-'Do we look like help?' Inner Sakura butted in._

'_Hell no!'_

"Well, not exactly, but since you're a hostage, you have to do anything we want you to do, and besides, you are treated rather well for a hostage…"

'_I wonder what they do to other hostages?_ Bad thoughts. _Bad thoughts Sakura. Come to think of it, I haven't been tortured since I got here. I'm being too lax. Damn.' _

The day passed quickly, soon enough, it was already time for dinner. She had been thinking about what Kisame said since morning. '_I think it was a silent invitation for torture. Either you cook for us, or we'll torture you for information blah, blah blah.. House help it is then.'_ She sighed and headed for the kitchen.

She was preparing four since the only people who were around were her, Kisame, Deidara and Itachi who will be arriving soon. _'Well, I hope he never comes back. Stupid food. Stupid Akatsuki. Stupid me for allowing myself to be captured. Ugh. I wonder what Tsunade-shishou will say when I tell her that I cooked for Akatsuki.'_

She gave out the food and she saw that both of them were already testing it for poison. _Paranoid._

"We're testing the food to see if there's poison, yeah." Deidara said, understanding the look that the kunoichi was giving him.

Sakura just rolled her eyes and proceeded to eat her supposedly poisoned food.

"No that's not it, yeah. I didn't mean to offend you. Think of it as a habit. Everyone does this before they eat, yeah." he then smiled.

Before the two Akatsuki members could even start eating, the door was swung open rather forcefully, revealing a very badly injured Uchiha Itachi. Her medic skills immediately came into play.

'_His sharingan is off. Low and disrupted chakra flow. He's about to collapse.' _She thought.

Kisame and Deidara rushed at the wounded ninja and brought him to his room.

"His eyesight." Kisame said.

Deidara nodded, completely understanding what his fellow Akatsuki was trying to say.

"He pushes himself too hard, yeah. For his br-"

"He has poor eyesight because of the Mangekyou Sharingan?" Sakura butted in.

"Yeah. Hn. His eye muscles are strained too. Won't be much longer before he goes completely blind."

They laid him down the bed. They also noticed that several kunais were still attached to his body and causing him to bleed severely in dangerous places. '_Sasuke.. He looks so much like Sasuke this way. My Sasuke. I'll do anything to bring you back.'_

"Hey! Deidara! Send a message to the medic!"

"Right. Tell him not to die yet!" he joked.

"Wa - wait!" the both of them looked at her.

"I'm going to heal him."

**Yey! Another chapter is finished. Sorry for the cliffy part. Thank you to all those who took the time to read my fanfic here. I really appreciate it. And don't forget to leave reviews, tell me what you think ok? ^^ Anyway, feel free to give me suggestions or recommendations that you think will make the story better and I'll do my best to put it in the story…**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto**

______________________________________________

**Chapter 3**

_We live not knowing that the essence of pleasure is spontaneity._

_But the greatest pleasure one can get in life is doing what people say you cannot do._

'_We are?'_ Inner Sakura suddenly appeared.

"Yes." She said, both to herself and to the other two occupants of the room.

Both were stunned at the sudden remark the girl gave.

"You're a medic-nin?!" they shouted together in surprise.

"Uh..yes."

"I don't think that is a good idea." Kisame said while blocking her way to the unconscious man.

Sakura narrowed her eyes at him.

"He may be an enemy, but I'm not about to let someone die because of personal reasons. Before everything else, I'm a medic. And I take my job seriously. Now move."

Kisame arched a brow at her speech but still stared at her with obvious suspicion in his eyes.

"Did she rehearse that speech? 'Cause that sure was one hell of a convincing monologue!" he whispered to Deidara.

"Well, how do we know that you won't take advantage of Itachi huh? Ms. Medic? You're a Konoha ninja after all, and in you mercy right now is the infamous Uchiha Itachi." He narrowed his eyes further at her.

"You know, Mr. Fishface, I was taught very well back in Konoha, and I remember my teacher telling me that a medic is obliged to heal anyone who needs their help, whether the patient likes it or not. Now, if you would be so kind, please let me pass through before he dies." She answered back sarcastically.

"Let her pass, Kisame. She won't do anything to him." The blond said.

After that, Kisame couldn't do anything more but to accept his defeat against the kunoichi, Sakura proceeded to heal all of Itachi's wounds day after day. _It's been three days, and he still unconscious._

She was the one who looked after him since Kisame and Deidara were called back by the leader. After finishing all her tasks for the day, she went back to the room and stared at the sleeping man.

'_Reputation and criminal records aside, he doesn't look scary at all while sleeping' _she thought.

_-'He looks just like Sasuke-kun.' _Inner Sakura suddenly blurted out.

'_Yes.'_

_-'And he's beautiful' Inner Sakura tested._

'_Yes.'_

Then as if realizing where her train of thoughts was going, she quickly shoved it back to her mind. _I don't believe this._ _I'm going crazy._

Sakura continued staring at the sleeping figure in front of her, not noticing that Itachi was already awake and was staring at her.

"It is not polite to stare."

Sakura's eyes widened at the voice she heard. _Shit! He saw me! Staring at him! Now Sakura, think of a very good excuse why were you looking at him like that?_ Sakura stood up from the chair and went to the nearby table, pretending to get some water.

"Well, I uh…I was just thinking about what your Sharingan eyes could do to you - that is – uh - about your condition right now…"

_Very smooth Sakura! You just gave him the lamest answer a person can give at the moment._

"Hn."

The kunoichi gave a sigh of relief. _Maybe that is an Uchiha's way of saying it this conversation's over. Hn. _Then three men wearing Akatsuki cloaks walked in the room.

"Yo! Itachi! Feeling better?" Kisame shouted with that usual grin.

"Uchiha! We thought you'd die, yeah" he chuckled at the comment he just said.

"…" The other one said nothing and just stared at him with no expression.

"Hn."

"Don't worry, Itachi, yeah. Ones who did this to you were already taken care of, yeah."

"I don't even want to know what 'taken care of' really means." The kunoichi grumbled.

"Sasori." Itachi said.

As Sakura was staring at the three figures at the door, she remembered her team. Kisame was just like Naruto who always had that smile, albeit an uglier one even though the worst was coming. Deidara was just like her, the one who always makes sense. And this new guy, Sasori, he was just like Sasuke, few emotions are shown in his face.

_Sasuke_. The memory struck her so suddenly that she felt homesick at the thought. _Now, Sakura, you left Konoha with the thought of getting Sasuke back, there's no turning back now. You have to be strong, strong enough to survive and get to the Hidden Village of Sound alive and well. You have to get Sasuke back. And you are not going start liking these people!_

'_I have to get out of here.'_

Her thoughts were interrupted when Deidara called her out for dinner, she didn't notice that all of them had already left the room except for her.

"Yeah, I'm coming Deidara." she replied with a fake smile.

_____________________________________________

"Why are you here?" Everyone knew who that question was addressed to.

"I was sent here to inform you that anbu from Konoha are currently probing."

Itachi nodded. "Hn."

"And leader wants you to know that if you don't get rid of the girl, then I will."

"…"

"I will enjoy killing her. She's very beautiful Itachi-san."

"Watch you tongue, Sasori."

Sakura had been listening to everything, all the while appearing oblivious. The only indication that she had heard their conversation was the gasp she emitted after hearing their last few statements. The gasp which caught everyone's attention in the table. _Bad Sakura! _She berated herself.

"WHAT THE HELL!" Kisame shouted breaking the silence and glaring at Sasori at the same time.

"You were trying to take my food Kisame."

"YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO 'ACCIDENTALLY' POUR THE SAUCE ON ME! YOU BASTARD!"

Sasori only smirked. Kisame, meanwhile, stormed out of the table and off to the bathroom, all while mumbling curses about red-headed puppet masters. Seeing this, Sakura gave out a chuckle, not even imagining in her dreams that the members of Akatsuki were also like family to each other. _Even though they are criminals, they still look out for each other._

After dinner, they all went back to their own rooms. Since she could not sleep, she thought it would be better to start a conversation with Itachi. She was wrong.

"Itachi-san."

No reply. Sakura sighed.

"He's asleep…" she thought loudly.

"No I'm not."

"Oh."

"You healed me."

"Uh, yes."

Then there was silence again, a deafening silence.

"You will heal my eyes every evening before I go to sleep." She knew very well, that it was no request, it was a command. From her captor. So she had to obey. _Damn._

"Huh?" still hoping that she heard wrong.

"I do not repeat myself." And then he slept.

Sakura could not sleep. _'Stupid me. Stupid Akatsuki. Stupid Itachi. Ugh. Why do I always end up in these hard-to-get-out-of situations?'_

She was weighing her options. _If I try to leave, I probably will drop dead before I get out of their territory. If I don't follow, I'll be tortured and tortured but I will still probably end up dead somewhere. But if I go along, I'll be committing high treason against my village. It was bad enough cooking, and then I healed him. And now I'm going to have work on bringing back his perfect eyesight._ She could only hope that IF she ever makes it out of here alive and back to Konoha, she won't be executed for being kind to S-class criminals. To Akatsuki. _I am so dead,_

After these exhausting thoughts, Sakura found herself yawning and ready for sleep. She woke up the next day feeling a little cheery. Why? She had no idea. Then came lunch, she was whistling away in the kitchen preparing when she heard Kisame.

"Oi! We're under attack!" Kisame shouted from outside.

'_Konoha anbu!_ _They're here for m-'_ she didn't even get the chance to finish that thought when everything went black.

"Itachi! Take the kunoichi and leave with Sasori! I'll handle the anbu!" Deidara said, motioning for them to get out.

They headed for the Hidden Village of Mist taking the unconscious kunoichi along with. Anbu were still trailing them from behind. Since he was still healing, Itachi didn't notice more anbu ar ahead until it was too late. _An ambush._

"I'll stay." Sasori said.

Itachi nodded. They were going faster now and when they reached the village, Itachi tried to wake Sakura up by shaking her, again and again, but still no response. _This woman sleeps like a rock._ He dropped her into the cold. That did it. After rising from the water, Sakura was shivering. He threw a cloak at her. _An Akatsuki cloak._

When they entered the Village of Mist, she caught people staring at them with what she guessed was disgust and fear all the same. They were greeted by an old lady named Karin which she guessed was one of the Akatsuki's resources in the many different towns.

"A room." he calmly stated upon entering the inn.

The old lady nodded and brought them to their room, Sakura was unsuspectingly holding Itachi's right hand while they were walking but none of them seemed to notice. She entered the elegantly decorated room and was really amazed by how it was different from the appearance outside. She didn't even notice the old lady had already left.

'_Guess I'll be sleeping in the floor again.'_

Nighttime came very fast, and the other three Akatsuki members have yet to return, and to top all of that, it was raining outside. Roars of thunder canbe heard everywhere around the village. A memory cameto mind when he heard the rumble of nature outside. She was trembling, a day she would never forget; when her parents were killed, why they were killed, and the person who killed them. _Orochimaru._

Almost involuntarily, she crept up to the bed and sought comfort from the person lying there but receiving none, she decided to go back. _She is not well._

"Kunoichi, you are trembling."

Sakura didn't answer but those onyx eyes felt like they were looking into her very soul.

"It's the thunder and lightning, they…um…remind me of some memories." _Bad memories._

No answer.

He turned his back and slept for the night. The thought that she was not alone somehow brought comfort to the kunoichi, and that night, she slept peacefully.

The three other Akatsuki arrived during the wee hours of the morning. Kisame and Deidara wanted to check on Itachi's condition. What they saw when they entered was a weird scenario. The room, indeed, was beautiful, but what really caught their attention were the two figures sleeping on the bed. Both eyes widened at what they saw.

"If only we could take a picture." Kisame whispered.

"Uchiha is cuddling with the kunoichi, yeah." Deidara was chuckling, and it was a lot of noise in the hushed room.

"Shut up. You're going to wake them up. At last they're not naked."

"True, yeah."

They both chuckled about their own thoughts but then Sasori went in and called them.

"What are you two doing? We need to discuss something. "

"Sssshhhh!" they both blurted out as they saw Sakura stir a little in her sleep.

'_God! If Itachi wakes up, he'll kill me right here.' _Kisame thought.

"Sasori! Don't talk so loud, yeah. You'll wake them up…" Deidara whispered as quietly as possible.

The shinobi's attention was taken away from his teammates when he saw the two sleeping figures. His eyes narrowed at the sight. _Leader should know about this. Uchiha Itachi, fraternizing with the enemy. _

"I thought you said she was his hostage." he said as he was approaching the bed.

"Shut Up!" Kisame and Deidara put both of their hands on his mouth and tried to drag him outside.

Too Late.

Kisame and Deidara froze at their tracks but Sasori just kept walking as if nothing happened. The pink haired kunoichi wondered about the look on their faces. Kisame got paler and Deidara was wearing a goofy smile.

It was then that she noticed the hand that was preventing her from standing up. Sakura looked around her and saw Itachi holding her tightly. And he was awake. Her eyes widened. She looked liked a deer caught in headlights.

"Kisame, Deidara, You are back." he said calmly while looking at them with Sharingan activated eyes.

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That's it for chapter 3! I really would like it if you drop me reviews. Opinions, Reactions, Suggestions will be greatly appreciated. ^^


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry for the late update…I had so many things to do these pasr 2 weeks and I barely had time to face my computer…well, anyways, here it is….**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto...**

* * *

Chapter 4

_Feelings are overflowing and things aren't easy to explain_

_I know my purpose but I'm now all confused and weary_

_A weird friendship started not too long ago,_

_And it blossomed into something I never imagined I could feel..._

In Konoha…

The news reached Tsunade that the anbus she sent to retrieve Haruno Sakura were all killed and knowing this, she confirmed to herself that the kunoichi she once trained was indeed with Akatsuki at the moment…_But why is she there? Could she have joined them? Or maybe she was only taken as hostage? But why did Akatsuki take her? What are they going to do with a kunoichi?_

Questions flooded her mind as she thought about the things that had happened recently…It was really starting to get into her nerves. _I knew I should have denied the title of Hokage that time Jiraiya asked me! I was just dragged by emotions that time! And now…I may be the strongest ninja but I'm also the most pressured one, being the Hokage, I should know how to hide my feelings, enough for the people in Konoha to see that I have no weakness and plus the fact that I have to sign these papers! Mountains of papers!_

She sighed and went back to reality when Naruto rushed into the room demanding news about the retrieval of Sakura…

"Hey! Old Woman!" he shouted at her while barging into the room

"What!"

"I heard from Shikamaru that the anbus you sent did not come back! What happened?"

"Yes, they did not come back…they were all killed by Akatsuki"

"I don't give a damn about Akatsuki! Tell me about Sakura!"

"Well Naruto, the fact that she is not here explains it all, she is with Akatsuki, and it is confirmed"

"Well, I'll go with the anbus to get her back!"

"Don't you remember that you were once the one that Akatsuki was after! They might have taken her hostage to lure to them! And if that happens, Konoha will have a bigger problem!"

Naruto sighed in defeat after hearing Tsunade like this. This was the first time she was so loud about something, yes, she shouts at times but not like this…so he decided he should better drop the subject follow whatever she said…

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"Kisame, Deidara I see that you're back" Itachi said while still holding on to Sakura's side

Kisame felt a shiver hearing Itachi's voice and gulped while Deidara stood frozen with eyes wide open _Why did he have to wake up!_ Kisame _thought Okay, this is all Sasori's fault! If we get injured now, there's no one to blame but him!_ Deidara silently cursed Sasori for coming in the room at the most fragile time….

"Oh…Hey there Itachi!" Kisame tried his best not to sound nervous in any way

"Hi Sakura1 Hi Itachi! Good morning!" Deidara still wore his normal smile while greeting them both

"What brings you to my room?"

"Oh, nothing, we just checking if you have already recovered" Deidara said with a sheepish kind of smile indicating it was a half lie

"Yeah…and we were leaving just now, right Deidara?"

"Yup, Sasori is waiting for us in the other room…"

Itachi didn't say anything for a while and the both of them took that as a signal that they should leave but before that…

"Kisame…"

Deidara elbowed the man beside him seeing that he was being called by Itachi at the moment. Deidara knew Itachi and he knew very well that they were lying even by just judging the sound of their voices…_Well, it was not entirely lies…we really went here to check on him, but instead we found him embracing the kunoichi! It was a sight to see! How can I not be curious/ the Great shinobi, Uchiha Itachi, for the first time in his life was embracing a girl in bed and smiling! It was just too irresistible!_ Hid thoughts were interrupted when Itachi called again...

"Kisame…"

"Y...y...yes?"

"…"

"Don't worry Itachi…I...umm...won't tell anybody what I saw here" he managed to say nervously

Itachi still didn't give any reply and this meant that he was not satisfied with his answer…_I guess I need to rephrase it?_ He thought

"Well we have to go now; Sasori will kill us if we keep him waiting longer than it already is…" Deidara managed to spat out as he dragged Kisame out

"Kisame…"

They stopped dead at their tracks after hearing Itachi speak in a more deadly voice than before and Kisame, well he couldn't manage it anymore so he let it out, unexpectedly…

"DAMN IT! FINE! I WON'T TELL ANYONE THAT I SAW YOU, UCHIHA ITACHI EMBRACING A WOMAN IN BED AND SMILING! THERE! IS THAT ANSWER ENOUGH!" he was almost out of breath when he finished the sentence and realizing what he just did…_Did I just say that?_

Itachi then raised a brow at the sudden outburst of his comrade. _What's with Kisame, I call his name then he talks about nonsense and his expression looks like he was about to be sent to hell._ But then moments later he realized that what he was saying was true, he was indeed embracing the kunoichi, and still doing it! He quickly got his hand off of her stomach and stood up as if nothing happened. Sakura too, was dumbfounded, she wasn't really aware of the hands that touched her, in fact, she was comfortable and warm last night, it was the best sleep she'd had since she was taken by Akatsuki…_I…don't understand…it was him? IT WAS HIM! I really felt safe last night, warm, and even comfortable! What in the world am I feeling? I…I…I lo-_her thoughts were interrupted when Inner Sakura entered...

_You love him! Ha! See, I told you it will eventually lead to this!_

_No! That's not it!_

_Oh really…_she answered back with very much sarcasm

_Yeah! Of course! I love only Sasuke! And besides, I wasn't really going to say that, in fact, I was going to say that I LOATHE HIM! Ya hear me!_

_Yeah Right!_ And then Inner Sakura left

Sakura's thoughts were interrupted when she noticed Itachi approaching the nervous as hell Kisame. _I didn't know that Itachi could give them that kind of scare_ she thought She was about to call him back to prevent Kisame from fainting at the moment and then Itachi spoke up…

"Kisame, get me some hot water"

Deidara looked at him with a very weird expression, a mixture of relief and humor, Sakura also fell of the bed after hearing this, literally, she thought that Itachi was going to castrate him or something, and Kisame, he did as he was told but was really embarrassed for what he just did…_So I almost got a nervous breakdown for nothing! That Uchiha was only going to ask me to get hot water! Although he has been my comrade for several years now, I really couldn't get the way he thinks! He looked dead serious and he was only going to ask me to get water! WATER!_ _Man, Itachi will sure have his day of embarrassment, I hope! _After these thoughts, he decided it was better to forget about it…really forget….

Later in the evening, dinner was accompanied by deafening silence, it's as if no one wanted to 5talk about anything, especially about the incident earlier…then it was Itachi who broke the silence

"Kunoichi, you will start healing my eyes after we eat" Itachi said with his usual blank and empty tone

"Hai…" was all Sakura could reply without even looking at him

After dinner, Sakura didn't have to wash the dishes since they were in an inn, so she was very thankful for that, she then proceeded to their room and decided to take a bath so she could heal Itachi and go to sleep…

_Man, I have to find something to do here…I'm as lazy as a turtle right now, the only things I do are eat, sleep and heal! Good thing these baths relax me after a day with no work…Oh! I almost forgot! I should get out now before Mr. Blank Face appears and scolds me for being late… Damn! I forgot my clothes outside!_ She sighed and went out of the bathroom wearing only a towel, good thing Itachi wasn't there yet….

But as she went her way to the bed, a realization hit her! _This is not good! I don't have any clothes left! I left it at the headquarters of Akatsuki!_ _I have to hurry before he comes in! Or else he might think that I'm seducing him or something!_

Well, a couple of minutes later, she did find a pair of clothes but it was Itachi's; nevertheless, she put it on. _Well at least it's better than healing him wearing only a towel…_

Not long after, Itachi went in to _their_ room; Sakura started healing him little by little…

"Umm…Itachi-san, this injury will take a while before it heals completely and in the time being, the use of your sharingan should be lessened to a minimum" she stated, just like a true medic-nin

Itachi nodded at her statement and immediately laid down the bed not minding if the kunoichi was still there…

"Umm, Itachi-san…Could you umm…could you…?"

Itachi raised a brow at her and seeing this she decided to pull herself together and ask the question…

"Could you umm...lend me some money, I need to buy some things tomorrow, perhaps, you could call it shopping"

"No" was all he said as a reply…

"What!"

"I do not repeat myself kunoichi"

"Wait! What do you mean no? Do you think that I'll escape or something or maybe, I'll try to poison you huh? For God's sake! I'm only going shopping! A girl has her needs you know!"

"If you do try to harm me, you can't and never will and…no…"

Sakura was really trying her best not to lose her temper at the moment because she knows that if she does, it's gonna be her end

_Okay! Calm down Sakura!_ Inner Sakura warned

_I…can't…WHO DOES THIS GUY THINK HE IS!_

_Well, He's Uchiha Itachi, S-class criminal, Akatsuki member, and the only person in the world who murdered his clan just to test if his possessed power was great enough!_ Inner Sakura said sarcastically

_Fine! So he is Uchiha Itachi, but that doesn't mean that he can't let me attend to my personal needs! That is just cruel!_

_He's actually known for being cruel…_

_Will you stop being so sarcastic!_

_Sure, why not?_

_WHY YOU LITTLE - _

Her thoughts were interrupted when Itachi spoke up…

"You will not go alone, I will come with you"

Sakura just stared at him with wide eyes at his sudden reply but at the same time, her face brightened up with a smile and her rising temper was gone for some reason…

"Thank You" it was her last words for the night before she fell into a deep slumber

The next morning, it was the usual, but this time, instead of taking a bath, she decided to go to breakfast immediately, seeing that Itachi was not there anymore…she sighed one last time and went to the dining room…without noticing that she was still wearing Itachi's clothes…

Upon entering, she noticed the same old scenario, Kisame and Deidara chatting cheerfully, Sasori glaring at them for being noisy and Itachi eating slowly and carefully as if no one was there at all…she then made her way to an empty seat and ate her food…

"Sakura, would you like to come with us back to the headquarters to check if the anbus already left, I noticed that you don't have any clothes left…" Deidara asked looking at her clothes at the same time…

"Well, I uh…I can't and I'm not gonna need my clothes that I left over there, well, I'm going shopping today…"

"SHOPPING! What do you mean shopping? For God's sake! You're a hostage of Akatsuki and you're telling us that you're going shopping!"

Deidara almost choked at what she said and she also saw Sasori glaring at her and she kind of panicked since the moment was very awkward, she didn't know what to say and she also had to be careful, even though she was treated nicely and they can somehow be called her friends, she knew for a fact that these people sitting in front of her are capable of killing her at any moment…

Sakura gulped at the faces they were giving her, except for Itachi who was eating peacefully as if nothing was happening…_Why can't I be like him? Nothing seems to bother him! I'm like melting over here because of the faces they're giving me, and then he eats, PEACEFULLY! Ohh, I really do envy his calmness…_

Sakura sighed and decided to tell them…

"I…uh…am…going…but…yeah…I'm…"

"She's going with me…"

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**Really sorry for the later update you guys! I had so many things to do since classes are opening soon…You could very well see in this chapter that Kisame and Sakura are always arguing…but eventually in the story, they'll make up Really, if you ask me, this is the chapter I least like, I really had to hurry this up, so sorry if you don't like it…but if you do, THANK YOU! Maybe I can make the next chapter longer for you guys…thanks again! See you at the next chapter…and btw… please don't forget to leave me reviews…any kind would do…**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto….**

* * *

**Chapter 5**

_Love involves a peculiar combination of understanding and misunderstanding._

_It bounds two very different people into one_

_A meeting decided by fate, a blossoming foundation of love_

_Things are not what it always seems_

_But nothing will be held back since love will find its own way through anything_

After saying the she's-going-with-me statement, everyone looked at Itachi who was eating very calmly as if there was nothing going on at all…but as always, Kisame was the first one to protest…

"But Itachi! She'll have a very big chance of escaping if you take her out to the village!"

"Kisame, are you implying that my skills as a shinobi of Akatsuki are weak, that a mere kunoichi hostage will be able to escape me"

"No, that's not it! But – "he wasn't able to continue since Itachi already stood up and started to leave the table…

"Then there's nothing to talk about"

After Itachi left, Kisame immediately glared at Sakura who was now carefully tiptoeing her way to the door she gave out a nervous smile and exited the dining room as fast as she could…she ran to their room and decided that she had to get ready for the day…so she entered the room not knowing that Itachi was there, she thought that he was in his usual morning ritual of eating, training and taking a bath…but when she entered, she saw a sight that no woman in the world was privileged enough to see…Uchiha Itachi, only wearing a towel after taking a bath…

Her eyes and mouth both widened upon entering, she closed the door, and was unconsciously staring at Itachi's almost naked body…

_Wow, he has a hot body! Maybe even better than Sasuke's!_ Inner Sakura said

_Yeah! Really…_

_Ha! Caught you again didn't I!_

_What!_

_You were staring dreamily at him just now!_

Sakura realized that what her inner self was saying was true and she really did it this time! She was admitting that she somehow admired Uchiha Itachi!

Itachi arched a brow when he saw her reaction in seeing him in only a towel…_she's blushing terribly…mouth and eyes wide open…not knowing what she is doing at the moment, perhaps she is a virgin? But isn't she looking for that filthy brother of mine? He must have touched her once at least for her to go after him like this…_he laughed inwardly at his thoughts and continued drying his hair…

"Kunoichi, basing in your reaction, I'd say that you have not seen a man wearing only a towel before…" He smirked after saying this and Sakura, too, awoke from her short daydream…

"Wha—what?" she asked as if not knowing what just transpired…

"Perhaps my filthy brother hasn't exposed this much flesh to you before" he said in a mocking tone…

And that was the last straw…Sakura was enraged by what he said, and not only that, she knew that what he said was true…So she marched forward to him and shouted at him…

"WHO IN THE WORLD DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY WHAT YOU SAID! THAT I'M AS INNOCENT AS A NEW-BORN CHILD! WELL, MR. BLANK FACE! JUST BECAUSE YOU HAVE A VERY NICE BODY AND A VERY CALM ATTIUTUDE, THAT DOESN'T MEAN YOU CAN GET AWAY WITH EVERYTHING YOU DO AND SAY! AND I ALREADY TOLD YOU BEFORE! SASUKE IS NOT FILTHY! YOU—YOU—" she panted a lot after saying this and was finally relieved that she was able to take out the feelings that wee bottled up inside of her…but then realization hit her!

_Did I just say that to Uchiha Itachi?_

_Yup!_

_Really!_

_Yup! And because of that, we're done for! You idiot! Why did you have to say those things to him!_

Her thoughts were interrupted when she realized that Itachi was not in the room anymore…_He left? Then that's good…_

Itachi smirked after leaving the room…_just as I thought, so she was untouched…and her temper is really rising when it comes to that topic…such a child…I'll have to hurry up with my own business before I go with her…_.with those last thoughts, he smirked one last time and decided to wait for her outside…

_Why is this morning turning out to be the worst one I had in ages! First, I was interrogated at the table, and then I was embarrassed when I saw a shinobi almost naked!_ She sighed and continued to take her bath, after a while, she saw only those Akatsuki clothes that Itachi was wearing placed neatly on the bed…_Probably for me? And it comes with a hat…Well, I guess that Akatsuki members really don't care much about fashion or anything…_

After she dressed, she looked at herself in the mirror and seeing that she was all prepared, she went out to meet Itachi…but she felt very awkward wearing those robes….she was always being stared at by the people she passed by, as if she was some kind of weird being passing by….Itachi saw her expression and knew that she was not used to this kind of attention…

"Do not mind them"

Sakura nodded and just decided to imitate Itachi's posture and face; they were like this until they reached a very expensive looking store…

They went in and Sakura was amazed at how the clothes in this store was organized, It was very neat, but the prices were very expensive as in its-my-three-week-allowance-in-konoha kind of way…Itachi walked up to the girl in the cashier and told her to give Sakura some appropriate clothes for a ninja, then suddenly a door opened and Sakura was told to enter and choose the ninja clothes she likes best…Sakura couldn't decide at all, she just likes it all…and Itachi was starting to get pissed off by the time she spent inside…

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Meanwhile in Konoha….

I really wish that Sakura is safe at the moment, I don't know what I'd do if something happened to her, Sasuke is gone, and now her…the only ones left in our team is me and Sir Kakashi…

"Oi! Naruto" Shikamaru said while approaching him, looking lazy as before

"Hey Shikamaru…"

"Well, that's not the Naruto I know…the Naruto I know always asks me why I'm here in a very lively way and he would ask me to treat him ramen at Ichiraku every time…"

"I guess some parts of the Naruto you knew is gone together with Sakura and Sasuke, good for you, your team stayed intact, even if you are lazy, Ino's a blabbermouth, and Choji…well…eats a lot" Naruto could only give a fake smile to assure him that he was okay and that he wouldn't do anything stupid…

"Would it liven you up if I told you that we have news about Sakura, I just heard it from the jounins at Tsunade's office, and I was there when they reported the news, Tsunade-sama even told me to not tell you, but seeing you like this, really is kind of weird…"

"Really? They have news!"

"Yeah"

"So, tell me about it! Don't make me wait any longer!"

"Here it goes, Sakura was indeed with Akatsuki, perhaps you already know that, but what we don't know is how she got there, was she kidnapped, hostaged or did she go freely—"

"One thing's for sure, she didn't go freely!"

"Could you let me finish first?"

"Oh...Sorry…"

"Well, Sakura was spotted two days ago by anbus in the Hidden Village of Mist, she was together with Uchiha Itachi, according to them…So Tsunade sent anbus to spy on them if Sakura was truly kidnapped and the report this morning says that the possibility of her being kidnapped is negative…she was seen wearing an Akatsuki cloak together with that Uchiha, they were, how do you say it, shopping…"

"What the hell is that! Sakura wearing an Akatsuki cloak? And why is she with that Itachi? Isn't he Sasuke's brother, the reason why he left? I thought she left to find Sasuke! And why in the world are they going shopping!"

"Again with the panic huh…those questions of yours will be answered when the anbus make their move, they have located the place where they are staying at the moment, and will attack at the start of nightfall, and they will retrieve Sakura, that is, if she is willing…"

"What do you mean by 'if she is willing?' "He asked and really getting pissed off...

"…"

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Two ours later, they were finally able to get out of the store and Sakura was able to pick the best clothes she ever had…And they were off to eat!

While at the restaurant, Sakura told Itachi that since he never used his sharingan these past few days, his eyes might be healed in no time…Itachi nodded…After they ate, they decided to walk for a while before returning to their hotel…

They sat on a bench nearby, again, as always, Sakura thought that the silence between them was deafening…so she decided to buy some Popsicle in the near store…

"Here...the other half is for you" Sakura gave him the other half of the popsicle and gave him a warm smile, a smile he hasn't seen in ages…Without replying at first, Itachi just stared at her and arched a brow…

"Please…just think of it as a thank you present for the things you bought for me today" and after saying those words, Itachi took the Popsicle from her hand and ate it…

"Thank You" was his only reply…

After eating the Popsicle, they decided to go back to the hotel they were staying in, and they knew that they had to leave this town soon because the anbus are still trailing them…

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Naruto was looking at the scenery and watching the busy people of Konoha pass by…He was very depressed at the moment, yes, because two of his closest friends left, but what saddened him more was the two o them not saying anything to him before they left, in both their situations, he had to here the news from somebody else…

_God! I'm going insane! I have to go after them! But first I have to convince that old woman to let me go…_

After organizing his thoughts, he went straight to Tsunade's office and asked her about what he intended to do…

"Hey! Old Woman! Let me go! I'll catch up with the anbus!"

"Naruto! Calm down! I already told you that you can't go…"

"But I promise! I won't let myself be caught by Akatsuki! And if ever that happens, and killing me is the only way, then I'll gladly do it! Just please let me go!"

"No…I can't do that…" she said disappointingly

Thinking about too much, she didn't even notice that Jiraiya has already entered the room and told her that he had heard their little conversation…

"Oi! Tsunade! Are you even listening to me!" he said seeing that she was not herself

"Wha…What? Did you say something?"

"Yeah! I was telling you for the past two minutes that I heard your conversation with Naruto and I think that you should let him go…"

"Why do you say that?"

"Come on, I know that you of all people know and understands how he feels, losing his two most trusted friends without them saying goodbye to him…That was the exact situation you were in when Dan and Naoki died…am I right?"

"Yeah, you're right…but if he falls into Akatsuki's hands, they would be unstoppable…He's too valuable to go on that mission Jiraiya"

Jiraiya arched a brow and laughed hard…"So you think he's valuable is he?"

Tsunade furrowed her brows at her comrade's comment and seeing this, he knew that he should get serious now or he would have to face a pissed off Tsunade…

"Fine. Fine…just don't stare at me like that…it's scary…And to go straight to the point, you should let him go…he's good enough to face Akatsuki, I myself have seen his very big improvement in just a very short period of time…so take it from me…he can handle it!"

Tsunade sighed in defeat after hearing his comments…she knew Jiraiya wouldn't leave unless he got what he wanted from her…

"Fine! I'll let him go! But in one condition!"

"And what may I ask is that?"

"You leave right now and don't tell him anything yet! I'll tell him! You understand?"

"Yeah…Yeah! Well, bye then…I still have to get some inspiration for my novels! See you some time!" he went out waving his hand back at her and laughing out loud like a drunk man….

"That bastard…he always leaves me no choice but to agree to what he wants…" she was murmuring curses while going to Naruto's apartment nearby…

When she arrived there, Naruto was no where to be found, only a letter was there, and it was very clear that he left even though she didn't allow him…

She gave out a sigh…"Just like his teacher…hard-headed and stubborn…I guess I just have to let the anbus follow him or something…"

---------------------------------------------------

"Umm…Itachi-san…Thank you very much…"

He didn't answer anything at all and just continued walking because he was very aware of the kunoichi staring at him from the back…

Itachi and Sakura arrived exactly in time for dinner…they went inside and everyone was surprised at the load of things they brought in…_And to think that last week, he said that he didn't want to go with us to buy some things because he had no money!_ Kisame thought…

Dinner went by quietly, the most quiet one as of the moment…After dinner, Itachi went in their room and got ready for his eye treatment…Sakura, too, was very relieved that no one spoke during dinner seeing their expressions earlier that morning…

Not long after, Sakura entered the room and she saw Itachi already waiting impatiently for her…

"Umm…sorry, I lost myself along the way…"

_Such a bad liar_…he thought

After taking a very short bath, Sakura proceeded to where Itachi was, she was very tired so she had to finish this quickly…

She started to heal him little by little but was very uncomfortable since she was being stared at by him, and to think he was staring straight at her eyes…_Somehow, that filthy brother of mine didn't notice the tiny beauty that is yet to bloom in this kunoichi…_he thought while staring at her…

He suddenly smirked and surprised her…"Kunoichi, you left Konoha to search for my brother did you not?"

"Well…um…yeah…but…it's…" she tried to answer but miserably failed…

"Why?"

"I…I…I don't know…I just had the feeling that I had to find him! I was just trying to—"

She was stopped by someone lips on her, it was very brute and harsh kind of kiss but suddenly turned into a gentle and passionate one, of course at first she struggled but after what seemed like at eternity of struggling, she realized something…

Uchiha Itachi was kissing her!

* * *

**Thank you very much for reading, as I have promised, this chapter is a bit longer than usual, and I'm starting to like the things that are happening myself! Sorry for the cliffy though…It had to be done! anyways, thank you and don't forget to drop me a review of how you like this chapter….**


	6. Chapter 6

**People! I'm really really sorry for the very late update! I had to spend almost a whole month in Kyoto…you see, my grandparents are to have their golden wedding anniversary, and I had to help prepare and be there for the celebration…mind you, I had to live the old fashioned way! As in no technology! For almost a month…that's why I wasn't able to update soon…really sorry…hope you understand! And thank you to all the reviewers! I love all!**

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto…

* * *

Chapter 6

_Love is a breeze_

_That whisks through_

_The trees of my soul._

_It bends my boughs and_

_Blows my woes away._

_I'm caught in this wind_

_And glad that it sends_

**_Me to you_.**

_**Previously:**_

_**She was stopped by someone lips on her, it was very brute and harsh kind of kiss but suddenly turned into a gentle and passionate one, of course at first she struggled but after what seemed like at eternity of struggling, she realized something…**_

_**Uchiha Itachi was kissing her!**_

Sakura felt all of her control slowly leave her body at the sudden contact, all these years, she imagined what she would feel if Sasuke kissed her, that has been her wish since she was a small child, to be kissed by a certain Uchiha…but never in her life did she imagine that certain Uchiha to be Itachi….

Not long after the contact, Sakura couldn't hold back anymore…every bit of control left her and she responded to the passionate kiss, Itachi smirked at her reaction…but as usual, when things were getting nice…Kisame barged into the door, almost breaking it at the force he applied…he was panting and carrying his weapon, and was ready to scold Itachi for not buying their dinner when they were out and now, he had to cook…but upon entering a room and seeing what's inside, shivers went down his spine, a reaction that even the fiercest battles couldn't give him_...It seems that I was interrupting something…again!_

Sakura immediately pulled away when she saw Kisame barging in the door, she blushed and avoided looking at anyone…

'_Soooo…What did I tell 'ya?' Inner Sakura appeared in her mind_

'_Of all the times you would appear, why now!'_

'_You're in love with the shinobi sitting beside you…' her inner self simply stated_

'_No I am not! I only love Sasuke! And…and…I'm not in love with that asshole!'_

_Sigh 'For your information my dear, you just kissed that so called asshole! And to add more to that, you enjoyed it…you really enjoyed it!'_

'_But…but that was like a response of the moment of some kind!' she defended…_

'_Yeah right! And dogs can fly!'_

'_Why you—'_

'_Oh for God's sake! Just admit the fact that you are in love with this god damn shinobi who is staring at you right now with his sharingan!'_

'_I…I…was…no…WHAT? Staring at me? With his sharingan!'_

She raised her head and saw that he was, indeed staring at her and he still wore that same old blank and empty face…Sakura further blushed…and decided to go out to eat dinner as an excuse…

Sakura ran to dining room as fast as she could…she couldn't quite understand what just transpired with her and Itachi…_I was supposed to hate him! Curse him! He was the reason why Sasuke left! I was supposed to stay away from him! But what the hell did I do? I am almost a part of this Akatsuki! I healed his eyes! And made friends with them! Then he kissed me! And what's worst is that I let him!_ Her thoughts were screaming as she ran and the tears were threatening to flow, but she knew that she couldn't let them…she calmed herself down when she reached the dining room…

She noticed that Itachi was already there…_How the hell did he get here before me! Was I really that slow? Well, never mind that! My stomach's suffering! _Sakura ate as quietly as possible…she wasn't even aware of the usual Kisame-Sasori argument, her mind was somewhere else…She wondered on what she would do when she sees her old friends from Konoha, what will she tell them? What will she do in case a fight starts? Who will she side with? During her stay in the Akatsuki headquarters, she has somehow formed a bond with the people there, even with Kisame...and Itachi…the thought saddened her

After dinner, she quietly left and entered her room…their room…when she arrived, she just walked past Itachi, not even noticing that he was sitting in the chair…Itachi raised a brow at her behavior…and he knew exactly how to change that…

Moments later, Sakura was about to head to the bathroom when she felt someone embrace her from behind, at first, she enjoyed the feeling, but realizing who it is, she quickly left him and quickly headed for the bathroom…Itachi could only smirk at her reaction…

Sakura reminisced on what had happened to her in the past…_I left Konoha, promising bring to myself that I would bring Sasuke back, then on the way, chased by a boar and captured by Akatsuki, it seems only yesterday that I was brought here…and now…I'M CONFUSED! What the hell am I doing here anyway, I should be on my way to find Sasuke, not be here falling in love with his older brother_…she sighed thinking about something…anything that would get herself out of the mess she is in…that one move…the kiss, before that, everything was going fine, but now, after that, she realized that unknowingly, the feelings she once had for Sasuke were transferring to Itachi. Yes, she was trying to hide that, but that kiss broke the barrier…and now she was confused…the last she said was 'I'm sorry Sasuke' before she fell into a deep slumber, still in the bath tub…

Meanwhile, Itachi, on the other side of the room, was getting impatient with the kunoichi, well, that's mainly because she still had to check his eyes, and he couldn't sleep unless she does so he opened the bathroom door and saw for himself the reason why she still didn't go out…she fell asleep on the tub…

_Carelessness..._he thought as he picked up the naked form of the kunoichi and wrapped it with his cloak…he laid her down the bed and went to sleep beside her…

The next morning, Sakura was feeling bad…bad as ever before…she went to the bathroom and remembered the events of last night…she was thinking about Sasuke then all went blank…_Hey wait! I fell asleep in the tub! How the hell did I get to the bed! Maybe…he….hey! that bastard! He saw me naked!_ But when she was about to go out and ask him, she saw his sleeping form…_so peaceful...so calm…_she decided to once again push those thoughts away….

She dressed herself and decided to make breakfast, although they were in a hotel, she could always ask the cook there if she could help, thinking that maybe this way, the confusion that plagued her would somehow be taken from her mind…She went out of the room, and wore the biggest smile she could give…When the Akatsuki members arrived at the dining room, breakfast was ready…and Sakura…well, she was just freakin' weird! She wore a big smile that never wore down…

In the middle of eating, she noticed Itachi still wasn't there…and decided to call him…but as if on timing…he barged in to the door, ready for battle…and sharingan activated…

"Wh—what's wrong?" she asked nervously

"Anbus.."

Upon hearing the word, all the other Akatsuki members were alerted and got ready for battle…

"Itachi…get the kunoichi out of here…we'll handle this" Deidara said

Itachi just nodded and threw Sakura over his shoulder and traveled back the headquarters…he knew that he could easily kill those anbus, but now was not the time…his eyes were not healed yet…and if sharingan is used too long without proper treatment, he could experience permanent blindness….

He traveled back as fast as he could, knowing that his sharingan would not last very long at its present condition…he was rather surprised y the kunoichi's behavior, she was awfully quiet…she wasn't even struggling…Itachi stopped for a while to see the reason for the sudden change in behavior…and saw that she was sleeping…he just smirked and continued with his traveling…

After almost a day, they arrived at the headquarters…it was the same as it was when he left a few weeks ago…he went to his room and laid the kunoichi on the bed. He decided to leave her there wile he checked out the place for any intruders…

------------------------------------------------------------

Naruto was nearing the hotel they were staying at…but his eyes widened at the sight he saw…all the 15 anbus that Tsunade sent were dead. Their bodies were scattered all over the area.

"SAKURA-CHAN! SAKURA-CHAN! ARE YOU THERE!"

He frantically searched for Sakura there, but there was no trace of her…not a clue, but he was very sure that Akatsuki had been there, seeing the dead anbus and all…who else could have done this?

_I-I was too late!_ He screamed at himself _They had fled…_

And now, Naruto had to go back to Konoha with nothing…not even information of her whereabouts…

--------------------------------------------------------------

Sakura was awakened by the sound of rainfall outside…she went out and went directly to the dining room, she was hungry…and tired…when she arrived, she was surprised to see them as if nothing happened, the same scene before they left the Hidden Village of Mist, as if there was no attack at all…

She walked in and sat in her place, just like the last time she was there. After eating, there was silence…the usual deafening silence, but then Sasori spoke up…

"Oi, Kisame, Deidara…go wash the dishes" he told them…more of a command actually, rather than a request…

Kisame didn't actually agree, he was dragged by Deidara to the kitchen…

Now the only ones left were Itachi, Sasori and Sakura…and Sasori had to tell him about the Leader's plan…

"Itachi.."

He just looked at him as a response

"Leader wants the kunoichi to join Akatsuki" he continued and Sakura almost choked at his statement..

"What the hell are you talking about!" she asked Sasori who just looked at her impassively but when she saw the look on both of their faces, she decided that being quiet would be the best option at the moment…

"Orochimaru is on the move again, although he hasn't done any damage as of the present, Leader suspects that he will do so anytime soon…"

Itachi nodded and left the room, bringing Sakura along with him….

"Wh—what are you doing? Let me go!" she tried to loosen his grip but her attempts were futile…

He brought her to the balcony…and there, he let go of her hand….

"You will agree to join" he said, cold as ever

"What? No I won't! I still have to find Sasuke!"

Silence…

"I'll kill him"

Sakura's eyes widened at his comment and decided to ask the question that no one dared to ask for a very long time…

"Itachi…why did you kill your clan?"

"That is not of your business kunoichi"

"Then, why do you want to kill Sasuke?"

"…"

Still there was no answer…she hated this, his being emotionless…not answering…and having the same expression on all situations….

"No arguments. You will agree to what Sasori said" those were his last words before he walked away from her….

"Wait!" he stopped but didn't bother to look back…

"I will agree to help Akatsuki, but I will not join…but you also have to promise me one thing, you will stop hunting the kyuubi or at least you wouldn't kill him when you fight in battle…I propose that to you as a deal…."

Itachi smirked and all he could say was "Akatsuki is not so good in keeping deals…" and then he left…

The next two days went by normally, but on the third day, message arrived that all Akatsuki members who weren't away on any mission were to go to he Hidden Village of Sound…and kill Orochimaru there before he again starts to make a move…And since Sakura was somehow part of it, she had to go, whether she liked it or not….

She knew in herself that she still wasn't prepared to face Sasuke just yet, not after the confusion that's still bothering her inside…but she had no choice, she had to go, or be chained in the cells of the Akatsuki headquarters…

They made their way to the Hidden village of Sound, all four of them, Deidara, Kisame, Sakura and Itachi…they were the only ones free at that time so they had to go…Upon arriving at the borders of the Hidden Village of Sound, they were attacked by numerous amounts of shinobis…but as usual, escaping them was no problem at all…

Kisame and Deidara fought side by side since they are now partners since Sakura joined them…on the other hand, Sakura and Itachi were also fighting side by side, their backs to each other so they could easily attack anyone from any direction, Sakura had never really killed before so she only used her medic skills to knock out the ones attacking them, but as usual, anyone that approached Itachi was surely going to die…

After knocking out all the shinobi guards, they went straight to Orochimaru, killing Kabuto along the way…although he was a strong and formidable opponent, but he was still no match for Akatsuki….

When they finally arrived at the top of Orochimaru's fortress, they saw him sitting on a chair, as if all along, he was waiting for them to arrive…But when all three of the other members were concentrated on Orochimaru, Sakura attention was caught by the person standing behind Orochimaru….

"Sasuke…"

* * *

**Another cliffy! And I'm really sorry again for not updating soon…And thank you to all the reviewers! I love your reviews…I like this chapter a little, but this was actually a rush work since I haven't updated for a long time now, so I had to hurry up….and please…tell me what you think! I'd really appreciate that….well, see you on the next chapter! Bye bye! I'll update very soon!**


	7. Chapter 7

**_So sorry for the very late update! It has been two months! I really had to catch up with my studies! My grades were not that good so I had limited time in my PC…So sorry…I'll make sure this time that I won't neglect this story anymore… Thank you again for all the reviews! All of them are appreciated!_**

**_Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto…_**

**_---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_**

**Chapter 7**

_There is only_

_One happiness in life,_

_To love_

_And be loved._

_Always remember that..._

_A path so dark in the beginning_

_Will lead to a very bright clearing in the end_

"So…I see that you have finally arrived, just so you know, I was already getting bored and Sasuke here is really very eager to fight YOU…" Orochimaru said sarcastically as the four of them were glaring at him

"Sasuke…" Sakura whispered his name again, not even minding her surroundings

She saw that he was a different Sasuke now, a very different one from the Sasuke she once knew, the Sasuke she loved and the Sasuke she tried so hard to find…He was just… not him anymore…_His eyes…they're telling me that he's ready to kill…_

She didn't even notice that Orochimaru had already stopped talking and was starting to stand and getting ready to attack them…

Itachi and Kisame smirked "Oi, kunoichi! Better stay back if you want to live longer!" After that, both Itachi and Kisame charged at both of their eager opponents, but before they could even reach them, an army of ninjas blocked their way and showered them with kunai…It was a good thing, they were good at dodging

"Sakura-san, I guess it's better for you to stay here, don't come close…I'll just go help them…and besides, we might even need your assistance later on" Deidara told her and gave her that famous smile of his that always made her feeling lighter

While the others were fighting, Sakura kept on staring at Sasuke…she wondered at how he changed like that in a very short period of time…_what happened to him? What did Orochimaru do to him? Is he still Sasuke? Will he remember me if I approach him?_ Questions flooded her mind on what she would do…

Not long after…"Ha! Making us fight these low-class ninjas was sure a waste of time!" Kisame shouted.

Sakura saw that the army of ninjas that was attacking them not too long ago were reduced to a dead army of ninjas whose bodies were scattered on the floor, but what surprised her more was that none of the Akatsuki members she was with got any kind of serious wound…maybe a little scratch here and there, but nothing serious…_So they're that good! If that was me, I probably would be out of chakra now, trying to heal myself…_

Sakura's attention went back to Sasuke, but this time…he looked at her, in a way not like before…but he looked at her like a predator who found his prey. Sakura took several steps backward knowing that she was the target, that soon enough, at anytime…he would attack. She tried to reach the kunai that was in her thighs just in case…_I know that this wouldn't hold very long…but at least, I'll have a chance…somehow…_

"Sakura-san! I guess we won't be needing your assis—" Deidara saw the look on Sakura's face and saw that the one they call Sasuke was rushing towards her, obviously not to meet her but to kill her…

"Sakura-san! Move!" he shouted desperately

She was already in fighting stance but as she was going to intercept, she didn't see him anymore…_He's fast!_ But then she felt an overwhelming chakra behind her, knowing who it was, all she could do was to close her eyes and wait for the blow…_Sasuke…_

She closed her eyes and waited…

_'Hey! What the hell are you doing!'_

_'I'm waiting for the blow…'_

_'Yeah right! Wait my feet! Was all that you trained with Tsunade-sama for nothing!'_

Sakura just ignored her inner self this time and concentrated in waiting for the blow that was suppose to come…a couple of seconds later she noticed that it never came. When she opened her eyes, she only saw the Uchiha brothers face-to-face, sharingan activated, and were very determined to kill one another…

"It's been a while_…weakling…_"

Sasuke's blood boiled after hearing this and the mark of the cursed seal immediately spread all throughout his body "MURDERER!" was all he could say in response

Itachi could only smirk at Sasuke's reaction…_Letting his emotions take over…such an amateur…_

Sasuke lost himself now…he kept on attacking and attacking while his counterpart was all the more smirking but then he noticed the kunoichi behind him…he noted that during their fight, Itachi made sure that Sakura was always in range for him to see

Sasuke smirked this time as he attacked him, _Gotcha! _Sasuke made it seem that he was heading straight for him, but instead turned away and headed straight for the defenseless kunoichi behind him.

"Deidara-san!"

Sakura shouted with wide eyes seeing Deidara take the blow of chidori for her. She knew that after this, Deidara might die from the wound and that there was no one to blame but herself for being so inattentive during the battle.

"Don't worry Sa...kura-san…I...ta...chi is...co...ming..." he finally said before he lost his consciousness

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"NARUTO!"

Ino shouted at him, obviously looking for an answer about his mission…

"Naruto! Any news about Sakura? Is she alright? Where is she? Why isn't she with you? And why—"

Ino saw the expression of Naruto's face and immediately got the silent answer to all her questions…It was the first time he saw Naruto like this. _He used to be so energetic…so hard-headed…yeah! There wasn't a day where he wasn't scolded by anyone and yet, he still smiled at that time…_Ino thought sadly…

"I see" she replied sadly and walked away, she was planning to talk to Shikamaru about his friend's current condition.

After a while, Naruto decided to eat at Ichiraku, he knew that he may have problems at the moment, but that doesn't mean that he would have to starve himself to death…

"10 bowls of ramen please!" he told the owner, and he tried his hardest to give that usual cheesy grin he wore when eating at the ramen stand

"Whoh! Easy with the food! You're eating like a pregnant woman there!" the owner said after noticing the way he ate

**With Shikamaru and Ino…**

"Hey Shikamaru!"

_Here we go again…_

"Yes?"

"Do you have any news about Sakura?"

"…sigh…no, not yet…I guess we just have to wait for Naruto to arrive to hear them, don't worry, he will be arriving two days from now…"

"What are you talking about! Naruto is right there! And on his way to that ramen stand! And he told me that—well, he didn't actually tell me…but I know that he doesn't have any piece of damn information! And to add to that I'm already going crazy right now!"

"Huh? He's here? He should have made a full report to the Gondaime by now…" Shikamaru responded, more to himself actually…

"Well, see 'ya later Ino!"

Shikamaru found Naruto on a cliff overlooking all of Konoha, he was about to approach him, but suddenly stopped when he saw a certain ninja peeking from a tree and probably trying her best to approach his sorrowful friend without fainting…_Ha! This should be interesting…Maybe, she'll be able to comfort him…_he smirked inwardly

After an hour…

_This is so not interesting anymore! I have to do something! I'm wasting time here!_ He approached the peeking ninja and held her in place by using his Shadow manipulation technique…

"Hey Hinata!" he said in barely a whisper

"Sh...Shikamaru-san? What a...are you d...doing here?"

"Oh come on! Just go approach him! He won't do anything to you! He needs comfort, and you are the probably the only one who can give that to him at this moment…and besides…you were standing behind this tree for more than an hour already!" he whispered, careful enough so that Naruto wont hear them..

"Y...you…saw me!" she shouted causing Naruto to drift away from his thoughts and look their direction

"Sshhh!" He then saw Naruto approaching them…_Shoot!_ He quickly removed his Shadow manipulation technique and ran, leaving Hinata to be found by his unknowing friend…

"Hinata? What are you doing here?"

She heard the very familiar voice and turned around, almost very near to trembling, but was trying her hardest to hide it…

"Na…na…naru...to-k...kun? And she fainted…

"HINATA!"

The last thing she saw was a shade of orange…

---------------------------------------------------

"Deidara-san! Wake up!" she was trying her best in healing his fallen comrade, he was on the verge of tears now, but she knew very well that at a time like this, a ninja should stay calm and not show any sign of weakness…

Because she was preoccupied with Deidara, she failed to notice the shinobi who was fast approaching; obviously, he was going to attack her with his chidori…

Mid-way towards her, Sasuke stopped and his eyes, which once were crimson from the use of sharingan was back to his onyx ones…

"Sakura…RUN!" he shouted, barely starting from a whisper

The kunoichi's attention was caught by this sudden statement…She faced him and saw a smile coming from him, not a smile of a killer, but the smile of Sasuke, the person she sought…but as quick as it came, it disappeared, suddenly replaced by a smirk of a killer, his eyes were transformed into crimson again…

Itachi, meanwhile, saw this as a perfect opportunity…_He's going to die!_

Sasuke was only two meters away from the kunoichi, he smirked, but it quickly dissipated when he felt pain all over his body, he then saw a katana go though his stomach…

"You bastard…" those were his last words before he fell on the cold floor…

"Sasuke!" Sakura rushed to limp body of his former teammate on the floor…

Itachi tried to find Orochimaru but he was nowhere to be found…_A coward as always_…He gave out a smirk…

"Let's go"

Kisame carried Deidara and they hurried out, he had to make sure that Deidara would live…well, simply because if he didn't, he would have no partner in annoying THE Uchiha Itachi…

"Ha! You better not die yet blondie!"

"He…he…coughs…I'll live through this…and if I do…cough…I owe you one…"

"Itachi! What did you do!" she tried her hardest to heal him, but she knew that the possibility of him surviving is very low…_A vital organ is injured…_

"Let's go" he repeated with a tone firmer than before…

"Wait!" Itachi just looked at her with that blank facade

"As a last request…Let's bring him back to Konoha…whether he survives or not, I won't …I won't do anything anymore…just please…let me bring him back there…" she was desperate now…she knew that if she hurried, her sensei might be able to save him…

Itachi just walked away…"Please!" she pleaded one more time

Itachi stopped "Take him; I will expect your arrival before sunset…" After saying those last words, he left and headed back for the Akatsuki base…

Sakura cried on her way to Konoha, she was frustrated, not even being able to prevent what just happened…When she arrived at the gates of Konoha, she noticed some ninjas and decided to distract them…

She put Sasuke's body in front of the gate, so it would be easy to notice…

"I'm sorry Sasuke…" she gave a sad smile and a farewell kiss on his forehead…

Sakura then made a tree explode nearby to attract attention; she hurriedly went on her way, making sure that no one was following her…

Ninjas in Konoha rushed outside the gate to see what was the commotion all about; they became alert in case they were attacked again unexpectedly…

The ninja who first arrived at the scene was surprised to see the young Uchiha all bloody…

Naruto and Hinata too, were alerted by the explosion, they rushed to the sight where it took place and to say that they were shocked was an understatement…

"Naruto-kun…its…it's…Sasuke-san…"

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Sakura, meanwhile had just arrived at their headquarters, her eyes were swollen, an evident sign that she was crying while going back…

"You're late"

"I suppose I am…" she answered back coldly at the shinobi who caused her all of the pain she is experiencing…

She decided to go to their room, she thought that maybe, she would find some comfort in there…she then heard him enter…

He always wore that blank expression…and yet…Sakura gave him a smile…

"Thank You" she approached him and gave him a light kiss on the cheek…

Sakura went back to bed and not long after, she fell into a deep slumber…

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_**Finally! Another chapter finished! Sorry again for the late update! Don't worry; the next chapters would be more interesting! I can assure you that…so I hope you all look forward to it! Thank you to all reviewers again! 6.6**_


	8. Chapter 8

**Yey! Here's Chapter 8 now! I really don't know if it's still organized…so please tell me if its not…Thank you again to all the reviewers! They are all appreciated! Pls. enjoy reading this chapter and hope you look forward to the next ones…**

**------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**Chapter 8**

_I'm not supposed to love you,_

_I'm not supposed to care,_

_I'm not supposed to live my life wishing you were there,_

_  
I'm not supposed to wonder where you are and what you do,_

_I'm sorry I can't help myself,_

_I'm in love with you._

**Previously:**

_Sakura, meanwhile had just arrived at their headquarters, her eyes were swollen, an evident sign that she was crying while going back…_

"_You're late"_

"_I suppose I am…" she answered back coldly at the shinobi who caused her all of the pain she is experiencing…_

_She decided to go to their room, she thought that maybe, she would find some comfort in there…she then heard him enter…_

_He always wore that blank expression…and yet…Sakura gave him a smile…_

"_Thank You" she approached him and gave him a light kiss on the cheek…_

_Sakura went back to bed and not long after, she fell into a deep slumber…_

"SASUKE!" Naruto broke through the crowd and ran towards his former teammate, with Hinata not far behind him…

"N...Naruto-kun, he's injured badly" Hinata said, looking very worried "We should take him to the Hokage right away"

"Yes, Let's Go!" Sasuke's face was already pale; he knew that if they further delayed time, he wouldn't make it…

Tsunade was on her way to see what was happening at the gates, she wasn't sure if it was real danger, but she had to go there…but on her way, she was shocked to see Naruto carrying his former teammate.

"Oi! Old Woman! Heal him now! He's not going to make it if we delay more!" Naruto was now panicking and out of breath from running…

A couple of hours later, Sasuke was safely tucked in the hospital with several nurses attending to his injuries, Naruto finally calmed down and thought it over…

_If Sasuke's already here, then why is Sakura-chan still missing? Did something happen to her? I thought she fled in order to find him? Or was that rumor true that she has already joined Akatsuki?NO! It can't be! Sakura-chan would never do such thing! She would rather die than betray Konoha in that manner! But what if—_

His mind was flooded with unanswered questions, questions that might be answered by Sasuke, since he was the root of all this…His thoughts were interrupted when he saw the shinobi beside him stir from his unconscious state

Sasuke was trembling and was murmuring something…then he bolted up "You bastard! Give her back!" he was panting and trying to calm himself down…but suddenly winced from the pain in his stomach…

Naruto was surprised to say the least; he gave a sigh of relief…and asked a very stupid question…as always….

"Hey! Why'd you call me a bastard! I was the one who brought you here! You would be dead if it weren't for me!" _This—this…he just woke up ang the first thing he tells me is dope!_

"Yeah right, dope…I wasn't talking about you"

"Oh! Well anyways, welcome back…teme…"

------------------------------------------------------

"Oi! Kunoichi…THAT STUBBORN BLOND WON'T LISTEN TO ME!" Kisame was enraged by Deidara's behavior so he barged in to her room early in the morning…

"Damn, Kisame! It's only 6am…what now?"

"I don't care what time it is or what time you usually wake up! You see, even Itachi is not here anymore, he went out for training! And that blond patient of yours won't even listen to me! I'm already being nice! And that's the problem! I'm not a nice person! If you don't go down there now! I'll kill him before lunch! And---and the most disgusting part in that is that he is treating me like his mother! MOTHER! And I'm a man!" Kisame snapped at her and Sakura…well…at first, she glared at him for shouting at her very early in the morning, but laughed out loud at his last statement...

"Mo...mo…moth…er….hahaha! Kisame…you…Dei...da...ra...san…mo…moth…er….hahaha!" she said in between laughs

Kisame glared at her and left the room angrily…

Man, that was the first time I laughed that hard since I arrived here…she gave out a last chuckle and prepared herself for breakfast, after her usual morning ritual, she went to their dining room…

"Deidara-san! Stop eating that!"

She scolded Deidara for eating that spicy stuff they had; it would ruin his healing progress…

Meanwhile, Sakura a certain shinobi while he was training outside and smiled sadly at him…thoughts of him flooded her mind…

'_What do I do now?'_ She asked herself…

'…'

'_So I guess even my feisty self can't answer that huh? What would Konoha think of me now that I joined Akatsuki?'_

'_You could leave you know…'_

'_No, I can't'_

'_We've grown attached to him, didn't we…?'_

'_Yeah, I guess…during their fight, I was more afraid that something might happen to him, what if his eyesight gave in during the fight? What if he died?'_

'_You know that won't happen…he's UCHIHA ITACHI'_ Inner Sakura answered back

'_Maybe so, an S-class criminal, a merciless killer, the only existing person who killed his family to test his power…and…and…the person…that…I…love…the…most…'_

'_Say what? We love him? I thought we LOATHE him?'_

'_Things change you know…'_

'_Yeah, well you do know that this will probably turn out like your relationship with_ _Sasuke…'_ Inner Sakura tried to put some sense into her other self

'_Maybe…but then again…maybe not'_

They gave out a long and deep sigh and decided to just surrender the subject…

"Damn Uchihas" she said out loud

"Perhaps you are correct kunoichi" she was startled at the sudden intrusion; she turned around and saw no other than the sharingan user himself…

"Yeah, I know" she gave out another sad smile and walked past him, ignoring him as if he wasn't there

She was trying to be cold as possible when around him, she couldn't let him know that she has feelings for him, she couldn't—she just couldn't…for so many unsaid reasons…because he might use it against her…

Suddenly, Itachi grabbed her wrist and pulled her towards him, ignoring the protests coming from her…"You can't go back to Konoha anymore" he whispered to her ear…

"I know, and I'm somehow glad"

"Remember this: THIS UCHIHA ITACHI CARES FOR NO ONE" he whispered gently to her ear

She knew this would happen, tears were threatening to spill, but she couldn't let them, she couldn't appear weak in front of him…since, once again, he could use this against her…

"I've realized that ever since the news spread that you killed your clan" she gave out a smirk

"Good" He then pulled her in for a kiss, this one was not like before, it was far more passionate and full of need…she couldn't help but melt into him as he held her…but then, he suddenly broke away when he sensed that someone was coming…

"Itachi, leader wants to see you and the kunoichi immediately"

Both of them nodded and proceeded to see their leader, they were brought to a dark room, nothing could be seen, only a voice could be heard…

"Uchiha, is this the new recruit? The kunoichi?"

"Hai"

"Very well, you two will be teamed up together to go and find Orochimaru, he's becoming a threat, he was once part of our organization, yet he left but he still possesses information that's confidential only to Akatsuki…Kill him, and don't leave a trace behind…and I trust that you can do it quickly" He told them

"Here" he threw a ring at her and she caught it gracefully "You may leave now"

Both nodded and went out silently…

"Well…um…Itachi-san…what's this for?" she was examining the ring…

"It's a sign that you're part of Akatsuki"

After what he said, he left without a trace, leaving Sakura alone to go back to their room…

----------------------------------------------------

"Oi! Teme! Where's Sakura-chan?"

Sasuke just ignored him and kept on walking…he made a fast and full recovery in no time…and surprisingly, was now headed to Ichiraku to eat ramen Naruto…he was avoiding this subject ever since he arrived. He knew that he was not himself when he fought his brother at that time, but would recognize Sakura anywhere, he didn't want to tell him that she was with Akatsuki now…

"Oi! Stop ignoring me when I ask that! You're the reason why she left in the first place! You're the reason why she was almost branded as a missing-nin, and you're the reason why she was—"

"She was with Akatsuki" he stated simply, cutting off Naruto

"What?"

"…"

"So, she's been kidnapped by Akatsuki…I guess the rumors were true…" he said sadly

"No, she wasn't" "What I'm trying to say is that she is with Akatsuki…she was fighting side by side with them…she was helping ang healing them in battle…she was wearing their cloak…she protected my brother…and my brother even protected her!"

Naruto was surprised at what he heard…"You're lying" After that he ran to the Gondaime's office and asked for permission if he could go and retrieve Sakura back…He couldn't believe what Sasuke had said…

"Oh...Naruto…Glad you're here…I'm go—"

"Hey old woman! I don't have time for other missions! We should get Sakura-chan back!"

"Well, that's—"

"I can't just wait here! What if they did something to her! What if—"

"Naruto…listen…"

"No! Just give that mission to someone else! I have to look for Sakura-chan! And not even you or any—"

"NARUTO! SHUT THE FUCK UP! AND LISTEN TO WHAT I HAVE TO SAY FIRST! AND STOP BEING HYSTERICAL!" Finally, he calmed down…

"That's better…now…as I was saying…I was going to send you to a mission to find Sakura…there will be three of you who will go…You, the Hyuuga girl…and Uchiha…"

"Hinata? Why her? What if she got hurt? No! I can't let her go! She'll hurt herself!"

Tsunade glared at the blond in front of her…"For you information…she was the one who talked me into this, she said that you were very depressed and could barely even smile…so she persuaded me into sending you into that mission"

"Then what about Sasuke? Why does he have to go?"

"We all know that in the first place, the reason why she left was because she wanted to find him…"

"Ohh…I see…Bye! I'm off to go thank Hinata!"

"Yes. You should! And prepare everything you will need…you will be leaving first thing tomorrow morning…"

Tsunade just smiled at him…he reminded her so much of her little brother before…and now, she was doing her best to lighten up the mood of the boy…she knew that he was suffering ever since his team was not together anymore…

---------------------------------------------------

In Akatsuki headquarters…during dinner…everything seemed back to normal…

"Hey! Give me some of that!" Kisame shouted

"Sorry, it's already taken…" Sasori answered while smirking…

"Why you little—you did that on purpose!"

"So? What if I did?"

_Will he ever grow up? _Sakura thought while watching the two…she decided that she had to forget about the 'love' thing first if she wanted things to stay normal…She was glad that everything was back to normal now…And thankfully…Deidara wasn't killed from the blow he received from the Chidori…

"So, Sakura-san, I heard that you and Itachi will be going tomorrow on a mission to kill Orochimaru…When will you be back?"

"Well…yeah…that's true…but I'm not exactly sure about when we will be back. Why? Will you miss me that much?" she joked…

"THE HELL I WILL! NO ONE WILL COOK! AND I'D RATHER GO OUTSIDE THAN EAT SASOR'S COOKING AGAIN!" Kisame shouted…

Everyone in the table bursted out laughing except Itachi…and Sasori…who was glaring daggers at Kisame…

After dinner, everyone went back to their own rooms and rested for the night…Sakura, meanwhile was preparing to heal Itachi's eyes…When she went out of the bathroom, he was just sitting there and was obviously waiting for her to go out…

"Okay! Let's start now!" she said cheerfully

"Itachi…during our mission…never mind!"

He just looked at her as if expecting the question she was about to ask…

"Oh fine! I was going to ask if I could send a message to Konoha, you know, just to let them know that I'm okay…that's all…"

He just nodded and told her to proceed with healing his eyes…

"By the way…you should minimize your use of Sharingan for the time being, we are about to start the most critical part of healing your eyes and if you don't follow the correct procedures…there's quite a big possibility that you would end up blind…"

"Hai" he simply answered…

They weren't exactly looking forward to the next day…they had to leave before sunrise and go back to the Hidden Village of Sound to search for other clues that Orochimaru might have left behind…

While they were on their way, he sensed chakras following them…Foolish people…he thought…

"Kunoichi… "

"Hm?"

"Konoha anbus are nearby and approaching…"

"What!"

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**Hey guys! Chapter 8 ends here…Please tell me what you think through your reviews…thank you again for reading….hope you enjoyed it!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Okay…okay…I know…It has been months since I updated! I had to catch up in school, and besides…I had writer's block this past month….and I couldn't write….that's why, I'm asking for your apology right now for the very long update…I'll be posting this chapter…and probably, the next one, not far behind…Thank you again for your patience and please continue to read my story…Tell me what you think….please and thank you! **

**Chapter 9**

_I know in reality we can't be together,_

_So I just close my eyes and you're right here with me..._

_In my dreams you're mine forever_

_Sometimes in love you must accept the fact that_

_What makes the person you cared about happy,_

_Might on the other hand leave you so lonely._

_**Previously:**_

_While they were on their way, he sensed chakras following them…Foolish people…he thought…_

"_Kunoichi… "_

"_Hm?"_

"_Konoha anbus are nearby and approaching…"_

"_What!"_

Sakura was nervous as hell when she heard this, anyone she knew would be dumbfounded to know that she was now part of Akatsuki…_Yeah! And I even have the ring to prove it!_

The both of them went faster than before, trying to avoid the anbus for their own reasons…Sakura was not yet ready to face anyone from Konoha now, even her forehead protector had a line drawn in between, truly proving that she was now part of Akatsuki.

Itachi on the other hand, did not mind fighting…he knew he could kill them instantly, but using his Sharingan right now would prove to be a very unwise decision.

-----------------------------------------------

"Hinata…umm…are you sure about this?"

"Hai, Naruto-kun"

"But…but…what if – "

"I won't get hurt Naruto-kun, I promise…."

_These two have been talking since we left Konoha…and I couldn't even hear about what they're talking about!_ Sasuke was looking towards the two other ninjas he was with…He was very sure that Naruto liked Hinata very much and so did she…but…they were just too slow…both of them! He was sure that if they continued to be like this, they would be distracted all the way…_Yeah! They couldn't even notice the faint chakras that are watching over us since we left!_

"Let's rest for a while…it would be night in a couple of hours and traveling at this rate will get us nowhere…" Sasuke ordered and headed for a nearby lake to refresh himself

"Hey! Who made you the captain?!?!"

"Hn"

"Um…Naruto-kun…I sense some chakras, but they're very weak…"

"Really?"

"Yes…but they seem to be far away from here…"

"Well…we just have to handle them when they're already near, right?"

"I…I guess…you.re..right…"

Naruto gave his famous grin and just sat there silently with Hinata but at the same time, stealing glances at her…

-------------------------------------------------------

Itachi tried to identify the chakras that were fast approaching…_The copy ninja… _he smirked at the discovery he had just made…He knew very well that if they didn't eliminate them now…the situation would only get worse, these ninjas had been trailing them for a while now…

"Kunoichi…stop"

She wondered at the sudden order, but followed nonetheless. He told her to use a certain jutsu to temporarily change her appearance and handed her his hat to further hide her appearance…And not long after, they were evading kunais that were coming from everywhere…

"They're here"

Itachi was getting ready, but Sakura was a little hesitant she glanced around to see if there was someone she knew among the anbus…but she couldn't sense anything…

She was only avoiding all the attacks but did nothing offensive, she couldn't bear to attack them, yes, she was a missing-nin now, but she still couldn't attack her own

_Come on Sakura! Pull it together! He's being attacked out there! WE'RE being attacked!!_

_Yeah! And might I say that he is doing pretty well…_

_Stop being sarcastic at a time like this! It's not funny anymore!_

_Arrggh! I'm not being sarcastic! I'm stating a fact for your information…_

_Well…that's not important right now, I have to help him!_

_And you better start doing it now!_

_Yeah! I would!_

After having this small talk with her inner self, Sakura decided to fight alongside Itachi. Although she was still somehow debating with her conscience if she would really hurt these anbus from Konoha…_Why are there so many of them that keep coming back?!?! I'm almost out of damn chakra! And when I do…Damn! This jutsu will obviously disappear and they'll know who I am! No wonder Konoha is considered one of the strongest!_

The fight finally took its toll on Sakura and she was now kneeling on the ground trying to block the kunais that were being thrown at her..._Okay! So many down! Two more to go! Where the hell is that damn Uchiha?!?! Isn't he supposed to be my partner?!?!_ She glanced around trying to find him but she only saw the marks of a fight that is still ongoing…

"Ahh!" she failed to notice a shuriken and it hit her right shoulder

The last thing she saw was a color of red and black before she passed out…

-------------------------------------------------

_With Kakashi and Itachi…_

Itachi smirked at the so-called copy-ninja. He wasn't even able to notice the chakra of his _former_ student because he was too preoccupied in their fight.

"So I see that you have a new partner now Itachi…I'd have to say that he has a lot of endurance, he's able to withstand those guys, what happened to the shark guy? Fried? Roasted? Hn…"

"Hn" he smirked…_You should be proud…You taught her well…_

Itachi saw that the kunoichi was stealing glances at him once in a while and saw that she was holding on pretty well, but he knew that a person of her ability at the moment wouldn't last very long at a situation like that…He had to end his fight fast.

"Looks like your partner isn't doing very well, it looks like he's tired already"

He saw that Sakura, indeed was panting heavily in one corner and was avoiding all those kunais while kneeling. There was only one thing he could do at the moment…

"Sharingan"

He had to use this now, or risk something else. He used the Mangekyou Sharingan on this opponent, temporarily stalling him and rushed for the kunoichi that was not very far from him.

She was bleeding profusely and kunais were everywhere, then he saw one kunai heading straight for her heart, and threw a shuriken to block it, giving him enough time to stand in front of her…He killed every ninja who were still standing at the place while carrying the kunoichi on his back and gave one last look at the unconscious copy ninja…_I'm not done with you yet…next time, you will die by my hands…_

Sakura was in a bad condition, she continued to cough up blood once in a while and was barely unconscious…

Sakura woke up at the sound of people talking…"Where am I? Shouldn't I be on a mission? Why am I back at the headquarters?" she tried to stand up but winced from the pain she felt from her right shoulder…

"Sakura-san! You're awake!"

"Deidara-kun? What am I doing back at the headquarters?"

chuckles "You're not back at the headquarters…we are in a village that's under Akatsuki, you could say that this village gives us support during our missions…we have them in almost every place and they-"

"Oh…but why does—"

"This is Itachi's room here…he had it made to be the exact replica of the one he had in the headquarters…he likes it that way"

"I see, by the way, where is Itachi?"

"He's out"

"Out?"

"Yeah…he brought you here and you were all bloody and looking tired…he laid you here and healed most of your wounds but not all, then he just left and told me to look after you when you wake up…"

Her only reply was a bitter smile and she laid herself back down on the bed turning her back on the blonde shinobi…

"Sakura-san"

"Hmm?"

"Promise me...that you'll be careful next time…"

silence

"It was my fault…" "It was my fault why I got hurt this bad…I could have killed them easily by hitting vital points…as a medic-nin…that's the skill I'm very good at but - "

"You had doubts…I see"

"Yeah…too much of them…and those anbus just kept coming back at me with full force and I kept on holding back until I couldn't keep it up anymore" she was glad that Deidara had listened to her and that she was able to get it out of her somehow…

"I want to go back…to go back to Konoha and tell them that I'm okay and that they shouldn't wait and worry anymore…silence but at the same time, I also want to tell them that I couldn't go back anymore, that I'm sorry and that I'd rather stay here with him and you guys" she was trying her best to hold back the tears that were threatening to fall…but her willpower was just not enough, she was crying now…hard.

"I don't believe that what you said was the only reason th—"

"OF COURSE IT'S NOT!" "The…reason, why I can't bring myself to go back…is…is…because, I fell in love with the enemy of the person that I was supposed to love and that person was the one who found me in a tree that night…who brought me to Akatsuki and made me unwillingly part of it…and a cold-hearted bastard that is now my partner! I despise him! For making me feel like this! For making me feel secure when I'm by his side every night! I SHOULD HATE HIM! But I can't…I just can't…I'm weak"

After a while, the kunoichi unknowingly fell asleep while crying…

"Good…just rest now, Sakura-san…"

He then left the room and went back to the dining room

"It's about time you came back…"

He said nothing and proceeded to the table

Sakura, meanwhile was being bothered by Kisame, as always…

"What do you want fish face?!?!? And whoever gave you permission to enter my room!?!?"

"We're all hungry down there!"

"So? Isn't this supposed to be an inn?!?!"

"The caretaker is out, Sasori drove him away when you and Itachi arrived…"

"Fine! I'll go down…give me a minute! And please…GET OUT!!!"

"Hai…hai…" he went out murmuring something about everyone being in a bad mood today…

After a while, Sakura arrived in the dining room with food for everyone…

"Wow…Sakura-san, how'd you cook the food that fast?" Deidara inquired

"Delivery from the nearby ramen shop"

"Ramen? We're eating ramen?!? "

She gave a death glare to the one who said that…and handed all the ramen to Deidara

"Alright, Kisame, if you don't want it, I'll just have to eat your share now do I? Besides, I have to recover from these wounds…hmm?"

"Fine, just give me the damn ramen!"

"You heard him Deidara-kun…give him the DAMN ramen…."

They all started to eat….quietly this time…knowing that their kunoichi was in a bad mood…a very bad mood…

Sakura finished her food as fast as she could…everyone was still drinking sake…slowly…she stood up…and dragged her chair…

"I'm going to the washroom!"

"She's in a bad mood…"

"Yeah, and I was wondering who is the reason for that…ne Kisame?"

"Whaat? I just woke her up!"

"Well…you could have done it slowly…" Sasori blurted in

"I did"

"Everyone heard both of you talking…or rather…shouting…"

"Fine! What can I do? I'm a bad guy aren't I?"

"Hn"

That kind of conversation continued until a drowsy Deidara stood up

"I wonder why Sakura-san hasn't come out of the washroom yet? It's been nearly two hours…and I need to use it…hic "

Itachi immediately stood up and threw a kunai at the lock of the door and knocked it open…but all they found was the chair she dragged in and Sakura was nowhere to be found…

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**Whew! Finally! Chapter 9 is finished…I had a hard time writing this chapter…I didn't know what to right next! Well anyways…thank you for reading and please don't forget to drop a review telling me of what you think of my story so far….Thank you!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

_There are so many things I wish I could tell you, _

_But I can't. _

_I'm not sure if you would ever understand because I don't even understand half of it. _

_I want to be with you so bad, _

_But deep in myself, I also know it's wrong. _

_I end up getting hurt more. _

_I can sit here and say that I don't care about you _

_And that I'm not going to let you hurt me, _

_But by far, that is the hardest thing I could ever do _

_And now that I love you, _

_It's not your fault, _

_It never was. _

_It's me._

**Previously:**

"_I wonder why Sakura-san hasn't come out of the washroom yet? It's been nearly two hours…and I need to use it…hic"_

_Itachi immediately stood up and threw a kunai at the lock of the door and knocked it open…but all they found was the chair she dragged in and Sakura was nowhere to be found…_

"Ha! Finally, I get to go out of that place! My patience was already thin…VERY THIN…and Kisame just broke the line" she said to herself while walking through the forest

_Good thing there was a window back in the bathroom! And a very big one…_

_Yeah, and I was wondering what something like that was doing in a bathroom…weird…_

_Hey…don't you feel something? Some chakras are approaching…3 of them_

_Now that you said it, yeah, there are…and let's check them out!_

_Wait!_

_What?_

_Mask your charka first...besides, we might surprise them…and we may need some action, just enough to release the emotions inside…_

She smiled at her inner self, knowing that although most of the time, she was very annoying, she could be very helpful at a time like this…

-----------------------------------------------------------

"I think we should find –hic- Sakura-san first –hic-" Deidara suggested, a little tipsy from the sake

"Come, on, that kunoichi couldn't have gone that far…besides, she's Akatsuki…she should know how to take care of herself…" Kisame blurted out…

"That's the problem, without Itachi, she can't…"Sasori interrupted bluntly

The crimson eyed shinobi, meanwhile, was staring at his comrades while talking about the kunoichi who disappeared more than an hour ago…and he was beyond pissed…

He threw three kunais at them and a look that said that 'if-you-don't-shut-up-I'll-kill-you-right-now'…Deidara and Kisame gulped from the glares he was giving them, while Sasori just smirked…

Sasori stood up, "I have to go, Leader is waiting for me, I have a mission…anyone coming? –silence- suit yourselves…" and he left

"I think we should start looking for Sakura-san right now…she might be lost or something…"

"I'm leaving…" Itachi then rushed outside

"He went out for the mission?" Kisame asked…

"No, he went out to find Sakura-san…I think…and we better too, besides, she's now Akatsuki, ne?"

Kisame sighed at the idea…he knew very well that the kunoichi was pissed mainly because of him, and he thought that it might not be a very good idea to see her…

"You know, Deidara, I think that Uchiha cares for the kunoichi…"

"Hmm…I think so too, I've never seen Itachi react when something happened to a member of Akatsuki"

"Maybe…he's gone soft?"

-silence-

"Ahahahahaha! Come on Deidara! Hell would freeze over before that happened! And you know what, if that did happen, there would be little monsters running around Akatsuki with pink hair and red eyes!"

Deidara chuckled at what Kisame said "I guess you're right" "Well, we better hurry, Itachi is not far ahead"

----------------------------------------------------------

To say that she was surprised at what she found out was an understatement. She almost panicked when she recognized the three chakras she was following. _Naruto…Hinata…and…Sasuke_

_Are they here to find me? No! They're here on a mission! Besides, I couldn't go back anymore!_

She kept on following them, not also knowing that she was being watched…

_Soon, kunoichi…you will be put to good use…_

_Who was that? The voice felt so dangerous…_A chill ran down her spine which caused her to lose balance and bump into a very visible tree ahead of her.

"Damn tree! Don't get in my way!"

She continued following them until she decided that finally, she had to settle things with her friends. She had to tell them that she can never go back with them, and that although they may be enemies in the future, _I still want them to be happy. I'm really sorry, you guys…I hope you understand…_

Nearly an hour after, Sakura decided that now was the best time to confront them…they were very near the Akatsuki base now, and if they got nearer, surely, they'd be spotted…_Well, It's now or never!_

When she was about to jump out in the open, she now spotted six figures…_I thought there were only three of them…WAIT! That's…those are…What are they doing here!?!_

"We meet again…little brother"

"You – "

"Hey! Akatsuki! Where did you hide Sakura-Chan!?! I'm going to make you pay dearly if a hair on her is harmed?!?!" Naruto interrupted

Sasuke just him and focused all his attention to his brother. Itachi, meanwhile, already knew that the kunoichi was already up in the trees, and the idea of what she might do amused him greatly…

"Hey blonde boy!!"

"Are you talking to me?"

Kisame raised a brow at Naruto, already knowing that he was the kyuubi, he didn't think that he was this careless…and…simply dumb…

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Naruto decided that he should start…

"Kisame, Deidara…Go…"

What they did not know was that Hinata was somewhere in the bushes, just waiting for the right time to go out and attack…

_My god! They're fighting again! And I can't go down there! It will be like the last time! Someone will be hurt if I go there…because…I'm going to be protected…_

_You sure are!_

_Stop being sarcastic at a time like this! This is no joke you know!_

_Of course I know that!_

_Well, I'm only here to tell you that if you don't do something now, Naruto, Hinata, and Sasuke are going to be dead by the end of this fight…They may be strong, but they're no match to these three…_

Preoccupied with her thoughts, Sakura failed to notice that Kisame was already surrounded…he was against Naruto and a hidden Hinata…Kunais were flying in every direction, and their only target was Kisame…She was shaken from her thoughts when she heard a growl coming from Kisame…he had two kunais stuck on his feet, disabling him from moving any more…All he could now was evade…_Where's Itachi? How could he not help them?!?!_

And then she saw him…he was leaning on the tree she was standing in…

_What is this bastard doing?!?! Leaning on a fucking tree!?!?_

_He's probably waiting for you to go down…_

_No way! I hid my chakra! Even Hinata didn't notice me!!_

_Then this just proves that he's way better than Hinata when it comes to spotting chakras…._

_But – _

_Look! Listen here! If he wasn't waiting for you, he would've already attacked Sasuke out there! Now do you get my point! _Her inner self shouted at her…

_Yeah! You're right! I'm going to make that bastard see that – OUCH_! A kunai had scratched her face….

Then she saw that Kisame was already faltering in everything he did...but he'll survive…She immediately scanned the field to find where Deidara was…

_Where's Deidara?_

Then he spotted him…he was leaning on a nearby tree for support…and burnt…his eyesight was failing him and a shuriken headed straight for his heart…

Then everyone froze as a kunai intercepted the said shuriken, stopping it only mere inches before it hit Deidara…

_Whew! That was close! _Sakura's inner self said…

While everybody was distracted, Sakura threw a healing pill at Kisame…

_Now all I have to do is help Deidara…_

"Oi! Sasuke-teme! There's another one up there in that tree!" Naruto shouted

"I know that you dobe!" But just when he was about to go the tree, Itachi blocked his way…

"Approach the tree…and you die…little brother" and then he gave a smirk…

"Get out of the way you murderer!"

"Hn"

Then they started fighting…Sakura took this as a sign for her to go down and help Deidara out…She did her best not to be seen and snuck up behind the large trees…When she finally reached Deidara, she pulled him into a large trunk for support…

"Deidara-kun? Are you okay?" she whispered

"I'll…cough…survive…"

"Good…we have to leave now…Kisame and Itachi will take care of things here"

"No…"

"What do you mean?"

"Sakura-san…you have to do this now…if you don't you might regret not taking this opportunity"

"But Deidara-kun, your condition – "

"I already told you I'll survive right?"

"Yes…but – "

"Don't get soft! You're Akatsuki now! Act like one!"

"But – "

"No buts Sakura-san…here…wear these…they won't notice you immediately…" he said as he handed her a hat and a mask…concealing her face from everyone else…

"Arigatou, Deidara-kun..."

She healed Deidara as quickly as possible…when his wounds were closed she knew he would survive this…

She gulped as she approached the scene behind the trees…there they were, fighting, and yet, here she was doing nothing…What she saw after alarmed her…

_ITACHI! His eyesight is failing him again! He used the Sharingan before this!?!?_

There was no doubt that Sasuke this time had the upper hand. Normally, in their fights, Itachi would not stop attacking until he saw that his brother was already disabled from moving any more, but this time, he just kept on evading whatever Sasuke did to attack…and that was the only motivation she needed…she jumped in the clearing and threw a kunai in between Itachi and Sasuke.

The two crimson-eyed shinobis evaded it, each going in different directions…Sakura quickly jumped to his Itachi's side

"Itachi, are you okay?" she whispered

"Do you not notice that I am almost blind, kunoichi?" he said casually

"Well of course I do! That's why I came here!" _That just slipped…I shouldn't have said that…_

"Hn"

"Fine…just get up! We need to wrap this up and get you out of here…"

"Hn" he gave her a smirk again…

Now a little confident, she stood up and faced Sasuke. The only thing that reassured her was that she had a mask. This way, they wouldn't know her…

_Damn! Why did have things have to screw up now?!?! _She screamed at her mind

Sasuke, in turn, was fuming on the other side…_How dare that bastard interrupt! So he's the one up in the tree! I'll kill him too! I'll get Sakura back no matter what!_

While Sasuke was busy with his thoughts, he failed to notice that the Akatsuki members were already leaving…and fast.

"Oi! Sasuke-teme! Follow them! We have to get Sakura-chan back!!"

And they did. They were able to catch up since two of their members were injured.

"Kisame! Bring them back to the base! Inform the medic there! I'll handle this!" she told Kisame

"Kunoichi, you – "

"No buts Kisame! I'm Akatsuki now, remember?" she gave him a reassuring smile that she would return and wouldn't turn on them.

"Hn! Itachi will be waiting for you back at the base! So be sure to make it fast!" these were his last words before he disappeared from sight, headed to the Akatsuki headquarters.

_Now, the time to do it Sakura!_

She continued to jump through the trees, hoping to lead the three Konoha ninjas away, and thankfully, they followed her trail. She found a clearing and settled herself down there, waiting for the three ninjas to arrive.

When the three did arrive, she knew there was no going back this back, there was no Itachi or Kisame or Deidara to back her up. _This time, I'm by myself! _She was already in a fighting stance when they spotted her and attacked her simultaneously.

Sakura just dodged each attack knowing that if she made her move now, she'd run out of chakra.

But what she didn't know was that Sasuke noticed the pink hair flowing through the wind as she dodged each kunai and shuriken that was bombarded to her. He wondered why Naruto and Hinata hadn't noticed this before. _They were probably too caught up…_

Sasuke stopped attacking and concentrated, he would target the one and only thing that's keeping the truth from them…_HER mask_.

And he threw the kunai with perfect accuracy and precision, hitting his mark exactly…_Bull's eye!_

Meanwhile Sakura was getting tired of this, if they didn't stop, her plan would obviously backfire and she was the one gong to be exhausted. But then she heard something, something that set off the alarm bells in her mind.

A kunai was heading straight at her and she knew very well that she couldn't evade it in time. She stood there and waited for the pain, but it never came…instead…CRACK!

Her mask broke into two and the two other ninjas stared at her with wide eyes, while the other one on the side was obviously glaring at her…

"SAKURA-CHAN?!?!"

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**Yep! That's chapter 10! Hoping that you enjoyed it! Chapter 11 coming up!! Just watch out for it! Sorry for the late update as always… But hey! Don't forget to review and tell me what you think! Thanks…**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto….**

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**Chapter 11**

_It's so hard to say " I love you, " and not draw back in tears_

_It's so hard to know that you're not there to help me face my fears_

_It's so hard to know that you are at my reach, but you can not hear my voice _

_It's so hard to just find feelings and now have to make them hide _

_It's so hard to live without you, when I need you more then words _

_I want to scream how much I love you but hold back and not be heard _

_It's so hard to go to sleep at night when I can not dream of you _

_It's so hard to think that you might fall in love with someone new_

_It's so hard to not start crying when I hear your favorite song _

_It's so hard to sit and wonder, where did I go wrong? _

_It's so hard to live without you if I only would have known I will never love another,_

_I would rather be alone._

**Previously:**

_A kunai was heading straight at her and she knew very well that she couldn't evade it in time. She stood there and waited for the pain, but it never came…instead…CRACK!_

_Her mask broke into two and the two other ninjas stared at her with wide eyes, while the other one on the side was obviously glaring at her…_

"_SAKURA-CHAN?!?!"_

Naruto and Hinata were speechless. The one that they were suppose to retrieve and bring back to Konoha was the same person they were so determined to kill just a moment ago. Sasuke just smirked upon seeing the look on the two faces of his two fellow shinobis.

_Sasuke knew all along! He must have seen my hair!! Damn!!_ Sakura thought

A rush of panic struck her inside, not knowing what to do in this unexpected turn of events. _Sasuke just had to ruin it all!_

"Naruto…Hinata…and…Sas – " she was trying her best trying to spea and put all the words she wanted to say together.

"You! YOU TRAITOR!!"

She stared at him, eyes widening at his expression. All she could see was the anger in his eyes. It was frightening, almost the same eyes when she first saw him with Orochimaru…the only difference was that this anger he felt now, was not for his brother…_but directly at me…He really hates me…because of Itachi…_

When she was about to speak, Sasuke rushed at her and Sakura could only evade. He threw several kunais that successfully injured her. _He's going too fast!!_ The last one he threw was supposed to fully immobilize her, and she could do nothing more than wait for the upcoming blow, but Naruto stopped it just in time, Hinata by his side, ready to attack Sasuke if necessary.

"Oi! Teme! What're you doing?!?! Our mission was to retrieve her! Not kill her you bastard!" Naruto was angered by what his teammate had done.

"Can't you see?!?! She's a traitor! She has betrayed Konoha! She is with Akatsuki!! AND SHE JUST SAVED _MY BROTHER_ A WHILE AGO!!!!"

"Well, let her explain! Damn it!" Naruto shot back

"No! I'd rather – " he was cut off by Sakura who was now nearly in tears.

"You guys, let me explain. You can kill me if you want after this, but please, just…just let me explain!" She was obviously desperate now, especially from her tone of voice.

Then very slowly, she told them everything, leaving out the parts when Itachi kissed her, and her being a part of Akatsuki. _Sasuke would be enraged if he knew about that._

Sasuke was angry. Se had just told them that she was happy? HAPPY! With Akatsuki! With his brother! _Damn them! _

"Sasuke" she spoke up "I'm sorry. I'm very sorry…I…I…was supposed to find you, and return with you to Konoha, so we could live a happy life…and have children in the future…and maybe live happily ever after. But now I realized that it was a dream, an unreachable dream that up until now was still possible."

She paused for a while and finally allowed those tears to fall. _Sakura-chan is really hurt…_

"When I left Konoha, all I could think about was to find you. But then I got captured, believe it or not, I was angry at myself at first because the idea of going back slipped my mind, that I grew fond of that place and that I made friends and slowly but surely fell in love with my captor. Yes, he may be cruel and merciless, and he may not return these feelings, but I know that I'll be happy just staying by his side and being there to help him when he needs it."

"I thought all the while that what I felt for you was true love. But since that time you fought with each other in the Hidden Village of Sound, I slowly realized how shallow that love is compared to the one I feel for Itachi. At that time, I couldn't even move, too many questions were running through my mind. When I arrived back that night, I knew I was at the wrong place, with the wrong people. But…but you know what? It felt right.I didn't even know how it became so deep, all I know is that I'm happy…right here…with Akatsuki…With you brother…With Itachi…"

"I knew in myself once that there is nothing worse than to betray your own village for your own personal reasons, because that's exactly what Orochimaru did. He betrayed Konoha. I thought these people to be selfish…and cruel…but now…-sob-…I'm exactly like them! At first, I wasn't exactly given the choice, so I had to stay here. But at that time you fought with Itachi, when I brought you back to Konoha, I knew very well that I had the chance to go back to my village! But I didn't, I bade you goodbye at that time Sasuke, because I knew at that time that all we could either be is friends or enemies…But all of you, do remember this, Sasuke, you will always have a special place in my heart, with Naruto and Kakashi-sensei, our Team Seven…"

Tears were falling uncontrollably now, and she couldn't do anything to stop them. _This would probably my goodbye to you guys…_

"My friends there too, I want them to be happy. They have been really good to me. Even Ino, that pig, she was and until now my best friend. Tsunade-sama, and all our senseis. They will always be here in my heart."

She tried her best to smile, but terribly failed. Sakura was sobbing now, she couldn't help it.

_I wasn't supposed to cry!!_

A pregnant silence ensued and lasted for a couple of minutes.

"Sakura-chan…why are you saying this? You're saying go…goodbye?" Naruto spoke up…and slowly approached her.

"Naruto…I hope you become Hokage one day, and be happy with some one you love." And by that she meant Hinata. She looked at her and gave her a smile, which made Hinata blush.

Hinata knew exactly what Sakura meant. _Don't worry Sakura-chan, I'll take care of Naruto-kun…I understand how you feel._

During the silence, Sasuke was made to think about what the pink-haired kunoichi had said…All the anger that he felt a while ago slowly dissipated while she was saying those words…His facial features softened a little, somehow hinting that he was not in hot rage anymore.

_Did I really hurt her that much? Unknowingly? But she knew I was an avenger…I already told her that years ago…I thought it was just a crush…__**Yeah!! A crush that made her take the risk of being a missing nin just to find to and bring you back! **__Someone in his mind reasoned out._

He then heard Naruto asking if she was saying goodbye. _Is she really? Did she really find happiness here that she never found in Konoha? Is she really happy? With Akatsuki? With Itachi?_ Then the Uchiha shinobi heard her answer, and was now sure that her former pink-haired teammate was bading them goodbye.

Sakura was telling Naruto to persevere in his dreams of becoming a Hokage. Then she looked at the Hyuuga girl, giving a knowing smile. _So she knows about them…Hn…_

She looked at Sasuke and slowly approached him, somehow sensing that he has calmed down while ignoring the waves of pain that hit her whenever she moved. She wanted to tell him so many things, to tell him that she was stronger now, how she trained under Tsunade to become a kunoichi, how sad she was whenever she thought about him not coming back, hoe she missed the old Sasuke so much…so many things all put into two words.

Sasuke turned his back on the kunoichi, not being able to bear the expression on her face. _She truly is saying goodbye_….he thought sadly.

"Thank You." he heard her say…

His eyes widened upon hearing those two words. Those were exactly the words he uttered that night he left Konoha. Words he said to her. All he wanted to do at the moment was run away from her. Not knowing what to say. She only hugged him from the back, exactly the same way she did that night when she begged him not to go.

He knew she was crying, he wanted to say sorry, but he couldn't bring himself to do so. Her hands were trembling, and he could feel she was shaking. He wanted to comfort her, not in a romantic way, but as a friend. He never was a good friend to her, ever since they became teammates. _Saying she was annoying, and all, yet she was still there._ He felt…he felt…guilty…

_I…I guess I should let her go then…_he thought to himself. He slowly turned around and came face to face with Sakura. She looked terrible. Her other knee was injured, and most of her clothing was stained with blots of red, obviously from the wounds that he inflicted. He smiled at her and slowly gave her a kiss on the forehead. Sakura was very thankful. She knew that Sasuke absolutely hated his brother, but she saw in his eyes that he wanted her to be happy.

The Uchiha then left quickly, not wanting to say anything more. Be _happy Sakura…_were his last thoughts before he left, leaving Naruto and Hinata behind.

"Sakura-chan…I guess we should be leaving then…" Naruto said looking sad and holding Hinata's hand.

The both of them slowly walked away from her, also wishing her to be happy.

"Naruto…I…I'm sorry…I…just…I…" she tried to tell him that she was really sorry, but the words won't come out…

Naruto quickly rushed to her and grabbed her for a bone-crushing hug…"I understand Sakura-chan…but then…I'll miss you…everyone will…"

It was taking everything she had not to cry again on Naruto's shoulder…

"It'll be minus one person who always treats me to Ichiraku Ramen!" he whined and gave her that famous grin of his…

"Well, that seems to have lightened the mood!" she chuckled a little while tears were flowing from her eyes…

"Sakura-chan...you're crying…and laughing….at the same time!" he looked amazed

"Of course I am you baka! I'd miss all of you! Especially you!"

"Me too…Sakura-chan…Be happy here…"

After that little farewell, Sakura told Naruto to take care of Hinata…"You make a good pair…don't let her go…she likes you very much…"

Hinata blushed at this statement…"I..I…I'll m..miss…y.ou…too...Sa..Sakura-chan…"

"Thank You Hinata…I wish you and Naruto the best of luck!" She tried to cheer herself up…and was somehow successful.

"Ne, Sakura-chan! I guess we better leave now! That teme left without us!! Always leaving us behind! Who made him boss?!?!" He exclaimed…

_I guess some things never change huh?_ Inner Sakura said…

_Yeah…some things never do…_

Sakura nodded…_Goodbye…Naruto…Sasuke-kun…Hinata…Konoha…_all she could do was cry, cry until she felt better to go back to Akatsuki and face them with a smile…

"Sakura-san…" She knew that voice…he had cried to him once, and was also thankful for the friendship that he provided…

"Deidara-kun...how long were you there?"

"Long enough…yeah"

"I see…" And she quickly ran to him…

"Deidara-kun, can I borrow your shoulder?"

He just smiled…"It's all yours! Yeah!" he tried to be cheerful…

"I…I'm so..sorry…for…m..making..your…cloak..wet..b..but…I…obviously…c..can't…cry…on m..my…own shoulder…" she said in between sobs…

"It had to be done Sakura-san…It's hard…but you're free now…yeah"

"I…I…guess…I..j..just feel…r..really bad..right…now…"

A couple of minutes later, Sakura finally calmed down...

"Arigatou, Deidara-kun!" giving him that freaky smile again which was obviously fake…

"Sakura-san…it's okay to be sad…just…don't smile…like that again…its…kind of freaky! Yeah!" he said…

"And besides…you look like a mess! Yeah! Your eyes are puffy from crying! You nose is slightly red…and your clothing looks terrible! Yeah! You can't be happy like that! No girl would be!"

This time, Sakura gave a laugh in response…a true one…

"I like that laugh better…yeah… C'mon…let's go back…Itachi is probably worried about you…yeah"

And together…they did go back…to Akatsuki…to her new companions…to her happineess…to Itachi…_to my new life…_

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**Yeah! That was chapter 11!! Hope you liked it! "" I'm not really that good in writing these kind of scenes…so please tell me what you think about it!! Is it bad? O.O Chapter 12 is coming up!! I hope you like it…R&R pls…Thank you to all readers and reviewers!! All of it is appreaciated!!**


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